Arkology Revisited
by LadyV77
Summary: Sequel to Child of the Sun. Alura's presence on the Andromeda has already changed the timeline, but how much? And how much more does it need to change? Rating for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Dedication:** for all those lovely, fantastic people who read "Child of the Sun" and left me reviews. You made it even more fun to write and I hope you enjoy this story as much as its prequel!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Andromeda or the crew you see her on TV with. Suing will do you no good unless you like to make poor people who give you ratings cry.

Alura Anasazi, Alicia "Lecy" Kenyon, all the members of the Valhalla Pride, Admiral Volkova and anyone else you don't recognize from the show _are_ mine.

**Pairings:** Rhade:Alura, Dylan:Trance, Rhade:Louisa, other (mwahahaha)

**A/N:** The idea for this story came about when I was writing Child of the Sun because the fourth season finale and the episode preceding it involving the Arkology storyline made the character of Telemachus Rhade a bit out of character (it would take more than a single day for a Nietzschean to be willing to give up being a warrior). So this is the Arkology storyline (and leading up to it) as it might have happened following my story Child of the Sun. If you haven't read that story, this one might be a little confusing. No material from Season 5 is planned to be in this story. The 'clip' found at the end of COTS will not appear in the first chapter.

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**Arkology Revisited: Chapter 1**

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"War must be for the sake of peace" - Aristotle

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"Bye, Momma."

Alura watched as Drago walked down the hall to where Ensign Kenyon was waiting for him. He wouldn't run. Nietzscheans did not run if they didn't have to, no matter who was waiting for them. Especially when the Nietzschean in question knew he was destined to lead his Pride, no matter how small that Pride happened to be.

Alicia Kenyon was teaching Drago how to cook Vedran cuisine, something not many people knew how to do. But Lecy's ancestors had lived on Tarn Vedra in the days of the old Systems Commonwealth, and cooking and other cultural knowledge had been passed down through the generations to Lecy and her siblings. According to his tutor, Drago was a natural at Vedran cooking. The young boy loved creating the dishes almost as much as he loved eating them.

Drago did well in most of his studies, the possible exception being engineering. He did alright working with his hands and such, but he just didn't have a predisposition to the technological. He still worked hard at it though, knowing that when he had a certain level of understanding his mother would teach him to fly. Seeing his efforts, Alura had decided to wait only another two weeks before starting his lessons on the Dance. Alura wasn't so sure Dylan would want the boy practicing on one of the Andromeda's slipfighters.

When Drago turned to wave before disappearing around a corner, Alura blew him a kiss. As soon as her son was out of sight, she turned around and headed back into their suite. She picked up the few toys Drago had left scattered around the living room and gently tossed them into the trunk in his room that was used for that purpose. It was a duplicate of the trunk she kept pieces of her old life in, the life that so far had not come back to haunt her.

She had been onboard the Andromeda for almost seven months, and other than the fact that she and Telemachus had yet to conceive a child there weren't many ways that life could get better. It was a sore point for her, but Trance had not been able to find any medical reason why she had not yet conceived. Her mother had told her, a look of knowledge in her eyes, that she just needed to be patient. Alura was finding it a little difficult. Alura crept back into her bedroom silently. She looked down at her husband and smiled. She needn't have been quiet; he was already awake and waiting for her return.

Every eight days they both had nothing to do but spend time together for a whole day as they did today. It was Dylan's wedding present to them, a fixed schedule that they could plan their newlywed lives around. Alura was not considered a Commonwealth member of the crew, but Dylan had hired her as a medical/engineering assistant. Both of she and Telemachus were on emergency call on their days off of course, but they wouldn't have had it any other way. Their lives were intertwined with the others that made up their odd little family: Drago, Dylan, Trance, Harper, Rommie, and even Beka.

Two weeks after her marriage to Telemachus, Alura had grudgingly told Beka the rest of what she knew of the other woman's life in her reality. They had both agreed to be civil now that Alura was a permanent member of the crew. Alura never sought Beka out for anything, and neither did the Maru's Captain ever look for her, but Alura no longer felt threatened when Telemachus resumed his friendship with the woman. Alura knew _they_ would never be friends, but at least there was no longer a chance of one of them attacking the other.

Her own friendship with Achilles Renier had progressed, the Nietzschean Captain making time on each of his official visits with the Andromeda's crew, which happened once every few weeks, to spend with her. Achilles no longer touched her in ways that anyone would think even slightly outside of friendship, showing respect for her still-new marriage to Telemachus. But there were still times when she would catch Achilles looking at her in a way that made a thrill run down her spine. He still wanted her.

Drago, too, spent time with Achilles when he was with her, though Telemachus kept his distance. Alura knew that Telemachus didn't really like her spending time with the other male, but outside of Drago and Telemachus, Achilles was the only Nietzschean friend she had ever had. And when the time came for Drago to take his place in the Nietzschean world, he would need connections to as many Nietzschean Prides as possible. And though Isis had not yet followed through on her threat to disown Telemachus, Alura knew it was futile to hope for the support of the Majorem Pride.

Valhalla Pride wasn't as high in the Nietzschean hierarchy as Majorem, but they were still a large, strong Pride. And from the stories Achilles had told both her and Drago, they were also a very loving family. She had discussed the future possibility of Drago staying with Valhalla Pride - in order to have more experience among his own kind - a few times with Achilles, but had not yet brought it up with her husband or son. She knew neither one of them really ever thought beyond living on the Andromeda.

Telemachus had only asked Alura once whether or not she was going to tell Dylan that she had been a part of the Commonwealth in her reality. When she had firmly said no, he had dropped it. Alura was sure part of his silence on the subject was not knowing everything about her military background, or her background in general. He respected that she had reasons for her secrecy, but he didn't want whatever it was to be shared with someone other than him, even if that someone was Dylan.

Whenever the Andromeda went into battle, which was quite often, Alura would board the Dance and take part. Danny was happier than he had been, and Alura thought a lot of it had to do with Dylan allowing him to wander the Andromeda and spend time with Rommie in his hard light form. But the rest was at least getting back part of being a warship.

It was the only thing she and Telemachus had ever actually fought about. Female Nietzscheans were not supposed to be warriors. They stayed in top physical condition to protect themselves and the children of their Pride, but they did not go into battle. Alura had coldly reminded Telemachus that she was not _only_ Nietzschean. They hadn't spoken for several hours. He had found her on the Dance and softly asked that she at least consider a less active role in battles once she got pregnant. Though she already knew that she would never stop being a warrior for the Light, she had placated him and said she'd consider it. They hadn't spoken of it again, but she had seen his disapproval each time she boarded the Dance to fight whoever their enemy happened to be in the current battle.

"Come here," Telemachus coaxed, snapping Alura out of her thoughts.

He crooked one finger, and she grinned down at him before joining him on the bed.

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Lecy carefully held the oven door open and watched Drago reach in with a toothpick to test the cupcakes they were baking. The toothpick had batter on it when he pulled it out, so Lecy closed the door once Drago's arm was clear.

Cupcakes weren't exactly Vedran, but every once in awhile she and Drago felt like doing something different, so they did. Last time it had been cookies, but she was out of chocolate chips, so they had chosen cupcakes today instead.

"Do you think Momma and Telemachus will like them?" Drago asked.

The two of them sat back down on the floor. They were working on a puzzle while the cupcakes cooked.

"I'm sure they'll love them, Drago," Lecy answered. She frowned and asked him what she had been wondering for some time, "Drago, why don't you call Telemachus Daddy or something? Didn't he adopt you when he and your mother got married?"

Drago nodded and put a puzzle piece where it belonged before looking up at her. "I had a Daddy already. I never knew my real Momma, so I don't feel bad calling Momma that. When I tried to call Telemachus Daddy it made me think of my real Daddy. And that makes me sad."

Lecy nodded her understanding and purposely tried to put the wrong puzzle piece down, making Drago laugh. She didn't like making the boy sad, he'd already had enough of that in his life. She couldn't help but wonder if Telemachus felt left out not having a parental name. Everyone knew how strongly Nietzscheans valued their families.

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"Do you think he's on the Dance?" Trance asked Dylan.

The look of excitement on his love's face was so cute that Dylan had to lean down and kiss her quickly. They were in the hall, after all. No need to put on a show.

"One way to find out," he answered. Slightly louder, Dylan said, "Andromeda, is Danny with Rommie?"

"Yes," came the AI's reply. "They are in engineering with Harper."

Dylan and Trance made their way to engineering. Rommie and Danny were standing near a workbench, watching Harper. The blonde engineer had his eyes closed, the neural port in his neck connected to the Andromeda's systems.

"Okay, how about now?" he suddenly asked, his eyes still closed.

The holographic Andromeda appeared near Rommie, looking more translucent than usual. The holograph's hand reached out and touched Rommie's arm. It made contact.

"It worked," the holographic Andromeda said, a note of awe in her voice.

Harper disconnected himself from the Andromeda and opened his eyes, jumping when he saw Dylan and Trance.

"Aw, boss," he half-whined. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Rommie, Danny and the holographic Andromeda had turned to look at the new arrivals.

"I thought you didn't want to be upgraded since you already had Rommie?" Dylan asked the holographic version of Andromeda.

"Harper and Danny pointed out that Rommie cannot be everywhere at once," the holograph answered. "This way, if I am needed in a corporeal state in any part of the ship, I can be there immediately."

Dylan nodded his acceptance and smiled at the still nervous-looking Harper, "Good job, Harper. But why isn't she solid-looking?"

Harper shrugged, "I thought it would be less confusing and easier for everyone to still be able to tell the difference between Andromeda and Rommie."

Dylan nodded again and Trance stepped forward.

"We're actually here to ask you a question, Danny."

The Dance Among the Star's AI looked surprised but moved toward Trance when she held up a vid player, the one Alura had given her months ago. When he was close enough, Trance played one of the vid files for Danny.

When it was done, she asked, "It's not dated, but the anniversary would be tomorrow, wouldn't it?"

Danny smiled, a sparkle in his blue eyes, "Yes. Shall we do something about it?"

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**Preview:** A surprise is planned for Alura. Something happens that forces Alura to make a decision.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** _Italics_ signify thought, emphasis or telepathic conversation.

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It was dark on obs deck when Telemachus led Alura through the doorway, but not dark enough that her Nietzschean eyesight couldn't see the people gathered near a table set for dinner. Even though she saw them, she still jumped when the lights suddenly came on and they all yelled, "Happy birthday!"

Trance came forward to hug her, and Alura cast the evil eye over her mother's shoulder at Danny. The holograph walked over to them and shook his head with a small laugh.

"I didn't tell them; Trance figured it out on her own," he informed her.

Alura was surprised. She had made sure none of the vid files she had given her mother were dated just in case something in them showed a part of the future Trance shouldn't see. That way at least she wouldn't know _when_ the event would happen. But evidently it hadn't mattered.

Alura smiled at Trance when the other woman let her go. "Thanks, Mom."

"I had to miss your first twenty-six birthdays, I wasn't going to ignore this one," Trance answered.

Alura was happy to note that no shadow had crossed her mother's eyes when she had made reference to the past. During the last several months, Trance had become more and more accepting of the fact that even though in a way Alura's past was the future, it was gone... there was no changing it.

Trance stepped back to stand beside Dylan, and Alura smiled to herself when she noticed Dylan's arm snake around her mother's waist and draw her closer to his side. The Captain and his medical officer had been in an official relationship as long as she had been married to Telemachus, and Dylan was just now getting used to small public displays of affection, though only when both of them were off-duty, of course.

"Did we surprise you, Momma?" Drago asked, launching himself into Alura's arms for a hug and kiss.

"Very much," she assured him. "I had no idea anyone knew it was my birthday."

"And why didn't _you_ tell us?" Lecy asked, joining them.

"Or at least me," Telemachus added, a hurt note in the quiet comment.

Alura shrugged, "I never really celebrated my birthday before."

The subject was promptly dropped, and Harper and Dylan extended their birthday greetings, as did a few other crew members Alura had become friends with. Telemachus stayed near her physically, but mentally he seemed to be drifting. She knew he was thinking... brooding about how much he didn't know about her.

From trial and error she had learned that it was best to just let him. If she tried to coax him out of the mood he was in, it would inevitably turn into a fight about why she couldn't tell at least _him_ everything about herself. Alura had never been able to tell him that it was because she knew his first loyalty was to Dylan, and there were things that Dylan and Trance just couldn't know. Telemachus would come out of the funk on his own if she gave him a little time.

"You know," Harper commented when he gave her a small wrapped package a little while later, "you're both younger _and_ older than me."

"Only older by a year and a half, Harper, don't try to make me feel ancient."

"Still," he said, shrugging with most of his upper body in the way only Harper could, "you are definitely one of a kind."

Alura smiled and laughed lightly, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"As well you should," the engineer bantered right back.

Harper moved away from her when Dylan announced that dinner was ready, and Telemachus offered his arm to Alura to lead her to the table. She smiled softly at him as an apology for not telling him her birthday. Telemachus returned the gesture.

"As soon as Trance told me yesterday about the party, I sent away for a gift. It probably won't reach us for a few weeks, but I'll show you a picture of it later."

"Okay," she agreed softly as she sat down in the chair he had pulled out for her.

At the head of the table, Dylan stood up and made a short but sweet toast to her. Alura had a sudden moment when she could feel Dylan's affection for her while he was talking. But she knew it wasn't possible that she had _actually_ felt it, so she shook it off as just being able to read him better now than she had been able to when she first came on board the Andromeda all those months ago.

That is, until she caught Rommie looking at her strangely. Thirty minutes later when the meal was over, Alura was able to ask the android what was wrong without anyone else listening in.

"Nothing," Rommie answered. "Must have been a glitch in my systems."

"What do you mean?" Alura asked cautiously.

"For a scant moment, your life signs changed."

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Trance kept glancing at her daughter while the two of them finished returning obs deck to its usual state. It had been very brief, but right before dinner had started Alura's essence had shifted. Soon after, Alura had been tense, worried about something. The tension had increased when she had spoken briefly with Rommie. The young blue and silver woman had remained that way throughout the rest of the party, though outwardly she laughed and smiled with their friends.

Trance was starting to worry. Despite everything Alura had been through, or maybe because of it, she was a relatively calm, easygoing person. It wasn't like her to be frightened for this long.

Alura was moving a plant back to its usual spot when Trance sensed the shift again. It was stronger and slightly longer this time. Alura's hands shook visibly and the plant dropped, its pot shattering.

The moment passed and Alura let out a small gasping sound. She fell to her knees beside the plant, carefully scooping as much of the dirt back together as she could. Her hands were still shaking. Trance joined her daughter, reaching out to still Alura's hands. Alura lifted her head to look at Trance, tears welling in her eyes.

"Shh," Trance soothed. "It's okay, I'll pick it up. You had a lot of excitement today, maybe you should get some rest."

Alura shook her head in a combination of refusal and denial but still stood up.

"I..." she started. Fear and apprehension rolled from her in waves, but she didn't get to finish.

The shift in Alura's aura flared more brightly than before, and the Light that was a part of every Avatar suddenly burned to life inside her. But whatever control Alura might have had in her own reality seemed to be lacking in this one, and the Light extended out from her body in a brilliant glow. The force of it lifted Alura off the floor, her semi-conscious form hovering for several minutes before Trance could think of anything to do to help.

Trance let her own Light extend slightly so that Alura's wouldn't hurt her as she approached.

"Alura Anasazi," Trance called firmly.

The half-Avatar's eyes flew open and focused on Trance, the usually dark blue orbs glowing a brilliant color, like backlit aquamarines. For a second, all Trance could sense was power, then she found the spark that was her daughter's soul. She willed her own calm and strength to envelop the fragile core of her daughter.

When the connection was established, Trance reached up and laced her fingers through Alura's, pulling gently so that Alura's feet once again touched the floor of obs deck. Still the Light shone too brightly for a half-Avatar to maintain.

"I love you, my daughter," Trance said softly.

Alura blinked, a tear falling from the corner of each eye. Her eyes returned to their natural dark blue color and the Light receded to a level where Alura could control it.

"I love you, too, Mom," Alura answered.

With that, she promptly collapsed to her knees again. Trance moved to join her but was stopped by Alura lifting one hand in a 'stay back' motion. Alura closed her eyes once more, but this time when the light extended, it seemed more controlled.

Alura was having a Vision.

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At first, Alura could not tell the significance of what she was Seeing. The only previous times she'd had a Vision while awake it had been important things, not the random Seeing she did as she dreamt. But what she was Seeing now...

An ancient behemoth of a vessel, an orbiter with a self-sustaining ecology. Arkology, something named the place. It was important in some way. A place of peace.

But Alura couldn't understand what that meant in relation to her. She was a warrior, it was the path she had been set upon from birth and the one she had accepted whole-heartedly. Somewhere that people clung to peace no matter what the cost was not a place she would ever willingly stay. Universal peace was a noble ambition, but she knew it would not be possible for many lifetimes to come, let alone in her own.

Then she Saw Telemachus. Telling a thin, blonde Nietzschean that he loved her. A stab of pain cut into Alura's heart. There was a desparate need in his love for Louisa Messereau that had never shown itself in his love for her.

The last thing she Saw was Telemachus telling Dylan that he had learned all he could from Dylan and that he was choosing to stay on Arkology with Louisa. Telemachus had found personal peace. Nothing could be more important.

Not even, or perhaps most especially not, her.

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When Alura opened her eyes, tears were falling freely down her face. She got slowly to her feet, dusting the plant dirt off her face. She sighed heavily in what Trance could easily read as resignation.

"What is it?" Trance asked softly.

Instead of answering, Alura smiled sadly and asked, "Could you bring up that area of space I told you about?"

Trance quickly requested that the Andromeda do so. There on the screen, between the Ringonni and Delfic systems, right where Alura said it would be, was a star.

"So you have your star back," Trance said lightly.

"Obviously," Alura said with a shrug. "I just thought you might like to see it."

Trance studied the screen again, smiling when she noticed something.

"It's a blue dwarf!"

Alura smiled as well, thought the gesture didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, I always thought maybe that had something to do with my coloring. Either that or your love for Dylan's blue eyes affected my development."

Even with the current situation, Trance couldn't help but grin at the thought. But Alura was still tense and sad, and Trance wasn't quite sure why. Before she could ask, though, her daughter asked a question Trance wasn't expecting.

"Do you believe that love and destiny are important?"

"Of course," Trance answered, surprised when her answer spiked her daughter's sorrow level before acceptance became the only emtion she could feel from Alura.

"I'll need your help soon, but right now I need to go to the Dance and rest."

"Why go to the Dance?"

Alura sighed, "I can't deal with anyone else's emotions right now, I'm out of practice. Could you give Telemachus a message for me?"

"Yes."

"Tell him... just tell him I'm fine but I need a little time alone. You can explain why."

But as Alura left the room, Trance wasn't sure she understood why herself.

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Alura traveled silently through corridors she could feel were deserted, taking nearly three times as long to reach the Dance as she usually did. She had been empathy-blind for so long she didn't know how much she could feel without reacting. Not only because of the time she had been in this reality without her star, but also because of the two years she had been alone in her own reality. If control snapped, she might see her Vision again in front of someone, and they would of course call her husband to help her.

But she couldn't be near him yet. Alura couldn't allow her love for him to stand in the way of his destiny. Complete acceptance would have to come _before_ she could be in his presence again.

The door to the Dance stood open when she reached the hangar; Danny was waiting at the bottom of the ramp for her. Concern was clear on his expressive face, but he did not say anything as she leaned on him for support on the walk up the ramp. The door slid shut and sealed behind them, and Danny led her to her bedroom. Not the one she had briefly shared with Telemachus when they had mated, but her real bedroom, the one that still held much of who she had been, who she still was.

Alura sank down onto the bed and stared at her ship's AI. The man (for she could think of him no other way) who had been her friend and family when she'd had no one, when the universe had been falling apart. She had once told him that if she'd had more siblings, she would have wanted a brother just like him.

"I felt you change," Danny said after several silent minutes.

One of his systems was always locked on her vital signs. In part so he would know where she was, but also so that if she was killed he could initiate a self-destruct. There was a vast amount of information in the databases and logs of the Dance that would be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

Alura nodded slowly in response to Danny's comment, trying to concentrate on the surge of power she had felt on obs deck. The Light inside her reacted suddenly, extending to fill every part of her, to touch her mind. She slammed her lids shut and focused on Seeing without eyes. A shudder ran through her when the same scene from an hour ago flashed by in her mind.

Realizing she wasn't going to learn anything new, Alura pushed the Light back into the center of her being. She was out of practice keeping herself balanced. She would not be able to fully integrate both of her halves until she was much calmer.

"What did you See?" Danny asked after she had come back to herself fully.

"The same thing I Saw earlier. Part of what's to come. A part that I will have no role in." Alura sighed heavily, "Something that confirms that I don't belong here, that I never should have stayed."

Danny's eyes went blank. "But you've made a home here. You have friends, family..."

"I _have_ to leave," Alura told him firmly.

"How many passengers should I expect?" Danny asked cautiously.

"Just Drago and I."

_Telemachus has to stay here for Louisa_, she thought with a slight trace of bitterness.

But in truth, Alura couldn't feel sorry for her decision to stay on the Andromeda as long as she had, no matter how much it now hurt to have to leave. She had been able to rescue Drago and get to know her mother and the Andromeda's crew. And she had learned what it meant to love and be loved in return.

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**Preview:** Will anyone understand what Alura knows she has to do?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis.

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Alura awoke in the morning feeling even less rested then when she had first lay down. For the first time since coming to this reality, she had dreamt. Twice more she had been forced to watch as her husband fell in love with another woman and changed who he was due to her influence.

A full-blooded Nietzschean woman. Beautiful, intelligent and compassionate. One who Isis, Matriarch of Majorem Pride, would be more than happy to accept as her daughter-in-law.

Even the fact that Louisa believed completely in the way of peace would not be an obstacle to Isis' approval, for Nietzschean women were expected to stay home and raise the children. Isis would never think that a woman wouldn't defend, by force, her own progeny from a threat. The Divine forbid Isis was ever forced to realize her mistake at the cost of an innocent life.

Alura sighed heavily and sat up, letting the Light inside her expand to give her enough strength to get through the day. There were things to do and though there were probably at least a couple months until the Andromeda would be on the way to Arkology, the sooner she and Drago left the Andromeda the sooner Telemachus would be back on the path to his destiny.

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"Where's Momma?" Drago asked when he sat down and Telemachus set a breakfast plate in front of him.

"She stayed the night on the Dance last night. She had something to take care of, maybe she'll tell you about it today."

Drago nodded, unconcerned, and tucked into his breakfast.

Telemachus wasn't sure how much Alura would tell Drago about having her star back. He wasn't entirely clear on what it meant himself. Trance hadn't exactly told him a lot about what it meant, only that Alura needed time alone to readjust to being half-Avatar with the powers of one.

He'd wanted to be there to support his wife, but Trance had made it clear that his presence wouldn't help in any way, only force Alura to confront the limits of her abilities before she was ready.

So he had done what he knew to Alura was just as important as supporting her. He had taken care of Drago.

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Telemachus frowned as he and Drago walked to hangar one. Something didn't feel right. He had contacted Danny through the Andromeda's systems, and the AI had told him that Alura was still resting and unable to speak to him before he started his duty shift. But when Telemachus had offered to ask Dylan for the day off so he could continue to watch Drago for Alura, Danny had insisted that Alura would be fine later and that he, Danny, would take care of Drago until she could. It was only because Drago had been excited at the prospect that Telemachus had agreed.

But now he wondered if he had done the right thing. Telemachus trusted Danny implicitly, mostly because Alura did, but why not take the time off? They weren't in a situation that made it necessary for him to be on duty.

Drago started walking faster when they came into the hangar and saw that Danny was waiting at the bottom of the ramp leading into the Dance. The hardlight hologram smiled at the boy and waved him inside the ship. Telemachus approached soon after.

"She's doing better," Danny told him, standing so that Telemachus would have to push past him to get into the ship.

Telemachus sighed, "Can I see her?"

Danny held up a vid player, an image of a sleeping Alura on the screen.

"In person," Telemachus clarified darkly.

"After your shift."

Telemachus' scowl deepened.

Danny frowned back and his voice actually raised slightly, something Telemachus had never heard, even in the middle of battle, "You think this isn't hard on her, too? She hasn't had to deal with her abilities in a very long time, even before we came here. It only makes it more difficult for her knowing that you're angry about it."

Telemachus blinked. He hadn't thought about it that way. When Alura had first come on board and he had asked about Tai Chi, she had told him that it helped balance her two halves. He knew she had downplayed other things that had happened to her in her reality. Was the struggle to stay balanced more involved than he could have realized? What would happen to her if she _couldn't_ stay in control?

"I'm sorry," Telemachus said quietly. "I hadn't really thought of what it meant for her star to exist. Let her know for me that I'll support her anyway I can, even if it means giving her a bit of space."

Danny nodded, his face and voice much calmer, "I'll let her know."

Telemachus turned and walked out of the hangar. He was on duty in a matter of minutes. He could only hope that when his shift was over, Alura would indeed be feeling good enough to be back in their quarters. It had only been one night, less than twelve hours, that they had been apart, but he still missed her terribly.

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Danny walked back inside and to the bridge where he had sent Drago. Alura had walked into the room just ahead of Danny, and she was kneeling on the floor hugging her son. The image Danny had shown Telemachus had been recorded the previous night. Alura had been up for hours, doing what she could to prepare the Dance for when they would leave, including preparing the room next to hers for Drago to use. When Drago pulled away from his mother, his usually happy expression was slightly worried.

"You feel warmer than usual, Momma."

Alura smiled sadly and led the boy to the chairs along the back wall, each of them settling into one. Danny kept a lock on Alura's vitals, knowing from experience that intense stress could cause her internal balance to be thrown off. He stayed close enough to get to her quickly if he needed to, but far enough away not to crowd mother and son as they talked.

"Do you remember what I told you about Avatars and me not having my star?" Alura began.

Drago nodded. He tilted his head to the side slightly and studied Alura for a second before asking, "Your star is back, isn't it?"

"Yes," Alura smiled. Danny knew it was because she was proud of how bright her son was. "And I've had a Vision that has let me know that it's time for me to leave the Andromeda."

Drago smiled, obviously excited at the thought of exploring more of the universe. But he calmed quickly, in tune with his mother enough to know that something was bothering her.

"Why didn't Telemachus tell me?"

"He doesn't know yet. He can't come with us, sweetheart, his destiny is here on the Andromeda."

"We're going to leave him here?" Drago asked, his bottom lip trembling slightly.

"He has to stay," Alura confirmed, a tear sliding down her cheek. Her next breath caught in her throat and she added, "If you'd rather stay here with him, I can try to make that work."

Danny's heart would have stopped if he had one that beat in the first place. Alura loved her son, had rescued him from the jaws of death as she hadn't been able to do in their reality. Danny knew she would willingly give her life for Drago. It was a testament to how unselfish she was that she would give the boy the option of staying with the man she was leaving. Danny had no idea _how_ she would work it out, but he knew she would if that was what Drago chose.

"No, Momma," Drago answered. He said softly, "I love you most."

"Oh, sweetheart, I love you, too." Alura leaned forward to quickly hug Drago. "Now, to make this as easy as possible on everyone, I'm going to need your help."

Drago nodded, his small hand reaching out to hold Alura's.

"I need you to pack all your stuff in your trunk as quickly as you can so we'll be ready to leave as soon as we say goodbye to everyone. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, Momma."

Alura glanced over at Danny. They had discussed earlier what she needed him to have ready for later. He inclined his head to let her know the first step was taken care of and the next soon would be.

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Lecy was in Alura, Drago and Telemachus' suite minutes after Alura contacted her. Alura flinched slightly at the concern radiating from her friend, but it was easy to get used to after the sadness rolling off of Drago. Alura knew he would miss Telemachus deeply, they both would, but she couldn't help being happy that he had chosen to come with her.

"You could have just brought him to me if you need someone to watch him for you," Lecy said.

"He needs to be here, he has to pack."

"Pack? You're leaving? Captain Hunt didn't say anything about Commander Rhade leaving."

"He isn't," Alura said softly. "Just Drago and I. I need to deliver something to Harper and talk to my mother and Dylan, but I'll explain when I get back if you want to stay and help me."

Lecy frowned thoughtfully but nodded slowly, "Of course."

Alura left the suite and headed for Harper's workshop. She found Harper in a good mood, singing an old Earth song she was sure he had originally heard on one of the old CDs Beka collected.

"Hey, blue girl!"

"Hey, pale boy," she bantered back, determined to keep his mood light so she had to deal with as few people's negative emotions as possible. "Have something for you."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked.

Harper set down what he had been working on and held out his hands. Alura handed him a stack of flexis Danny had prepared at her request. Harper's eyes bugged out slightly and Alura could imagine him drooling over all the new information to play with.

"What's all this?" he asked, excitement flooding his being.

Alura smiled at the continuing good feelings from the blonde engineer. "Just a few things I thought you might like to work with. Schematics for different upgrades and theoretical weapons."

"Thanks."

"Sure, Harper."

Somehow she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye yet to the young man who had accepted her almost as quickly as her mother and who had become on eo fher good friends. She left Harper looking through his new "toys" and headed to her next self-scheduled appointment.

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Trance was checking supplies in med bay when Alura came in. Trance could immediately tell that something had changed. Beyond her daughter once again being an active half-Avatar.

At Trance's urging, Alura moved with her to the office part of med deck, both of them sitting down.

"What is it?" Trance asked.

"It's time for me to leave," Alura answered. "I want it to hurt Telemachus as little as possible, so I'm going to need to call in your promise to do whatever was in your power to help me."

Trance nodded reluctantly, "Tell me everything."

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"You can't really want to do this," Dylan said, his anger almost covering the concern in his tone. "Do you know how much it will hurt Telemachus?"

Alura glanced at her mother before answering. Trance was concerned but understood. Somehow it didn't make trying to explain the situation to Dylan any easier. Being in his presence when her mother was in the room was slightly odd. The Light in Trance that marked her as an Avatar was brilliant, much as Alura's own Light. But Dylan, who was half-heavyworlder and half-human, also had a Light inside him that burned brightly.

Every living being with a soul had a Light inside them if someone with Sight looked deep enough, but Dylan's was much brighter than any of the other humans on board. She didn't have to concentrate at all to see it. Alura brushed it aside as being because Dylan was a Champion for the Light; perhaps he was specially blessed by the Divine or some other higher power.

Alura had told the Andromeda's Captain what she had told her mother, without embellishing the story with as much emotion. She thought maybe if he thought she was a little cold-hearted about it, it would go down easier. Apparently she had thought wrong.

"If Rhade really is going to fall in love with this woman, would it be so bad for her to be his second wife? If it truly is his destiny, you being here won't stop it." Dylan paused before adding, "Everything you know in this reality is here on the Andromeda; don't leave."

"I have to," Alura said calmly. "Knowing how he is going to feel about her by itself may not be have been enough to make it necessary, but knowing he's going to change who he is for her... _that_ I will not stand by and watch."

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Dylan's frown deepened, and he turned to Trance, "She's your daughter, and I know you love her. Are you just going to hang back and let her go through with this?"

"No," Trance said simply. "I intend to help her."

Dylan scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "I just don't understand."

"My power wouldn't have come back the way it did if it wasn't important," Alura explained calmly. "The Vision is the only one I've had so far, and it has come too frequently to be only a possibility. I have accepted the path of a warrior; I could not stay married to someone who didn't follow that path, no matter how much we loved each other."

"But all Nietzscheans are warriors," Dylan rebutted.

"Not Louisa. Her Pride, Ana Purna, has chosen to follow the way of peace at all costs, even their own lives and the lives of their children. I can never follow that path, life is too precious to me."

Trance smiled softly at that remark. Life _was_ precious. She suddenly remembered her Vision from Alura and Telemachus' wedding reception. The one in which Alura had five children other than Drago, two of them Telemachus', and the rest not. But how could even the first two be possible if Alura was leaving the ship? Did it mean the possible future she had seen, one that - for all that it was brief - had seemed happy, was no longer a possibility?

Trance was fairly certain Alura wasn't pregnant. Or if she was, Alura didn't know yet. Because first of all, Alura would immediately have told Trance if she was finally pregnant, and secondly, her feelings about leaving the father of her child would be more intense than just leaving her husband. But Trance acknowledged that Alura was making the choice she had to make given the circumstances, so Trance wouldn't bring up the possibility of a baby. She wouldn't make her daughter feel worse about doing what she had to.

"Dylan," Trance said softly, "Alura is doing what she believes she must. We cannot fault her for that."

Dylan sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. Trance knew he read her 'we'll talk more about this later' look, but he wasn't happy about it. For a moment, she wondered why he was reacting as strongly as he was.

Dylan did care about Alura, but still not deeply enough after several months to consider Alura a part of the inner circle of the crew. Why was he so adamantly trying to get her to stay? Was he simply trying to protect the feelings of Telemachus, who _was_ a member of the inner circle? Or was there more to it?

"I need to go pack while Telemachus is on duty," Alura said softly. "Mother, will you join me in the suite right before his shift ends?"

Trance nodded and waited until Alura had left the room before confronting Dylan.

"Alura has to do this," she began. "She doesn't want to change good things that are supposed to happen by being selfish."

"Are you going to go with them?" Dylan asked quietly.

_Oh, so that's it, he thinks he'll lose me because of this_, Trance thought.

Trance walked to where Dylan was sitting and curled up on his lap. His arms tightened around her immediately.

"No, I'm not going anywhere," she answered. "I love you, Dylan; I'm not going to leave you."

Dylan lifted one hand to lightly caress her face, trailing his broad fingers up to the delicate tip of her ear. A delighted shiver swept through her at the tender gesture, and she smiled softly at him. But something was still bothering him, and Trance waited for him to tell her what it was.

"Not even if you thought it was my destiny to be with someone else?" he asked quietly.

Trance had a moment of panic at the thought, but just as quickly she pushed it aside.

"Never," she promised. "Alura is only doing it because she isn't from here. This isn't her place. It _is_ mine. Here with you is where I'm supposed to be, where I choose to be."

"Thank the Divine," he swore softly.

Dylan pulled her in tight for a deep, searching kiss. It was with great reluctance that Trance pulled away minutes later. She had to be there when Telemachus got off duty. She had promised once to do whatever was in her power to help Alura, and today she would fulfill that promise in a way she had never expected to.

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**Preview:** Telemachus finds out. Plus, Alura and Drago leave the Andromeda on the Dance Among the Stars, but not before Alura loses Dylan's trust in her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis.

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Lecy and Drago were in Alura and Telemachus' room when Alura returned. They were putting her belongings into her trunk. A glance around the front room and Drago's room showed they had already finished with his things.

"Thank you," Alura said to Lecy as she joined them in their task.

"Sure," Lecy answered easily. "I figured time might be an issue, so when we were done with his things, Drago and I decided to start on yours. Oh, and in case you go to Tarazed at some point, I gave Drago the contact information for my family when I gave him my recipe book."

Alura hugged her friend briefly, "Thank you for accepting us so easily, for all your help over these past months."

"You're very welcome," Lecy said softly.

They were done quickly, and bots were requested to bring Alura and Drago's things to the Dance. At the last minute, Alura remembered to grab the shirt she had bought for Telemachus that had the see-through panel for his helix band and threw it into her trunk. When the bots had left, she looked around the suite and realized that Telemachus' things would have to be moved too. The suite would no longer be necessary without she and Drago.

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Telemachus smiled when he walked into their suite at the end of his duty shift and saw Alura waiting for him. Alura let his relief and love wash over her for a second. Confirming that the love he felt for her wasn't as deep and desperate as what he would feel for Louisa, Alura shied away from him when he tried to pull her into his arms. Telemachus frowned and seemed to notice Trance in the room for the first time.

The sad but determined look on the Avatar's face seemed to make his frown deepen. Alura waited while Telemachus glanced around the suite, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the stark simplicity of their quarters. The same stark simplicity all empty rooms on the Andromeda had.

"What's going on?" he asked slowly, dark suspicion coloring his other emotions. "Where is everything?"

"Your things are back in your old quarters."

"And Drago's things? And yours?"

"Onboard the Dance Among the Stars," Alura said. "We've stayed too long already."

Suspicion turned to fear and pain, and Telemachus said with a deceptive calm, "Let me go talk to Dylan, I'm sure he'll understand if I tender my resignation immediately instead of giving advanced notice."

"No, Telemachus. Your place is here on the Andromeda. Drago and I will be going alone."

"Damn it, Alura," Telemachus swore. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's time for me to go," she told him softly, flinching when he slammed his fist down on the top of the desk. His anger, fear and panic threatened to break her, but she held fast to the knowledge that before too long he would be happy, in love and at peace with himself. "I need the band back."

Telemachus paled, and his right hand crept up and across his chest to touch his helix band. "What… what have I done to make you stop loving me?"

"This has nothing to do with me loving or not loving you. It has to do with you and your future."

"A future without you and Drago?" he asked bitterly. He pointed at Trance. "Did _she_ tell you something is going to happen? You said it doesn't have anything to do with you loving me. Does it have something to do with my love for you? Because, Alura, you have to know that nothing will ever change the way I feel about you."

Knowing that he wouldn't remember any of this anyway, Alura gave in to the need to feel his arms around her one last time. She moved toward Telemachus and allowed him to pull her close. A tear escaped to slide down her cheek. Telemachus lifted one hand to tenderly wipe it away. He bent his head to kiss her, and Alura allowed a brief touch of lips.

"Please," Telemachus whispered, "don't do this."

"I love you, Telemachus," Alura sobbed, her tears falling freely now. "I always will. That means I want the best for you. And that doesn't include me."

"It has to," he insisted.

Alura smiled sadly and injected him with the sedative she'd kept hidden from his view. The drug worked quickly, and Alura guided his suddenly unconscious form to fall on the sofa. Making sure he was positioned comfortably, Alura pressed one last kiss to his cheek, unclasped the helix band from his left bicep and straightened. She hooked the band through one of the straps of her weapons holster just to keep it out of the way.

Trance approached and put a comforting hand on Alura's arm. "It's not too late to change your mind."

Alura's gaze simply remained steady on Trance's. Trance sighed. Alura watched as her mother perched on the edge of the sofa near Telemachus' head.

"Which memories did you want me to take from him?" Trance asked.

"All of his personal interaction with and thoughts of me since we rescued Drago. That way he at least has some memories to fall back on if someone mentions my name to him."

"Even if he doesn't agree with what you're doing, Dylan will keep his word to me," Trance assured her. "Everyone will be ordered not to bring you up once you've gone."

Alura nodded. "I still have a couple more things I need to do."

"Okay, I'll be there when it's time for you and Drago to leave. I want to say good-bye."

"Thank you, Mother," Alura said as she moved to leave the room. "For everything."

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Danny appeared in the hall next to Alura once the door to her now empty, except for Telemachus and Trance of course, quarters. He had been listening the whole time from his emitter, which was currently attached to Alura's weapons holster. Together, Commodore and AI walked to the hangar where the ship was waiting.

Danny wasn't in his usual hardlight form, in fact, he wouldn't even show up on sensors if anyone checked. Stealth mode was necessary for the next several minutes. He also hoped his presence would offer Alura at least some comfort. They had one more task to complete before they could leave, and it would be accomplished from a computer station in the hangar where the Dance Among the Stars was located.

Drago was with Lecy, the woman taking the boy around to say good-bye to all the friends he had made on the Andromeda. Lecy and Drago would meet Alura in front of the Dance when it was time to go.

Danny and Alura reached the hangar in silence. As one, they moved to the computer station a few feet from the door.

"Privacy mode, please, Andromeda," Alura requested.

A beep signaled that public record surveillance had been shut down. Her fingers moving quickly on the computer, Alura entered a request for 'full privacy mode'. A screen immediately came up asking for an authorization code. Alura typed it in and quickly set Danny's emitter on the computer terminal.

The AI's eyes closed as he simultaneously accomplished the two tasks his Commodore had set for him.

Alura counted down from thirty seconds. When she reached 'one', Danny looked at her and nodded. Alura picked up his emitter and handed it to him. Danny walked quickly to the Dance.

Alura alone would face the consequences of what they had just done.

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Dylan, Beka and Rommie were on duty on command deck when Rommie suddenly frowned.

"Captain, Alura has disappeared from sensors."

"How is that possible?" Beka asked. "She wouldn't leave without Drago, and he's still with Ensign Kenyon."

The young Nietzschean had just left the bridge a few minutes ago after saying good-bye to Dylan, Beka and Rommie. There was no way he had already made it back to hangar one.

"She was in hangar one at the computer terminal when she requested privacy mode, but whatever she did after that I cannot access."

Dylan's eyebrows rose, and he shared a look with Rommie. When privacy mode was engaged, the normal surveillance that took place on the warship became classified, accessible only to the Senior Officers who had the proper clearance. There was only one time when Rommie, as the ship's AI, would not be able to tell what was going on in any part of the ship, outside of damage from an attack.

Full privacy mode completely shut down surveillance. But how could Alura possibly have the clearance to access it? Even before being trapped in the horizon of the black hole more than three hundred years ago, Dylan had always been the only one with the codes to Andromeda's full privacy mode.

"Beka," Dylan ordered sharply, "have a security team meet me outside hangar one."

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Beka sent the requested order and watched Dylan leave the room. She wasn't sure what silent communication had passed between Dylan and Rommie, or even what Alura had done, but she recognized the look on Dylan's face.

It had surprised Beka when Trance had earlier told her that Alura was leaving and that Rhade would have no memories of his wife. But severing all connection with her husband wasn't the end of Alura's shocking behavior. Now, if she had not made an enemy of Captain Dylan Hunt, then she had least assured she would never again have a place on his ship.

Beka was left to wonder why she wasn't happier about the development.

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Alura was standing at attention at the bottom of the ramp that led up into the Dance when Dylan and his security team entered the hangar. At Dylan's order, the four men took up posts in a square around her, each of them ten feet from her. Alura's gaze never left Dylan, even when the security team trained their weapons on her.

"Do you want to explain yourself?" Dylan asked coldly.

Rommie had informed him when he was on the way to the hangar that full privacy mode had only lasted a total of forty-five seconds, and that Alura had simply moved to the spot she was currently in after turning it off. However she had gotten the code, she had to have known that it would have been noted. What could she possibly have done in forty-five seconds that would have been worth this?

"I erased all surveillance that showed the connection between Commander Rhade and myself," Alura answered crisply.

Dylan frowned, "I would have done that if you had asked, there has to be something more to it than that."

Alura remained silent, still standing at attention.

Dylan sighed before saying, "Since you're already leaving, I won't have to force you off my ship. But if you ever come back, whether to visit Trance or for another reason, you will be unarmed and under guard the whole time. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Captain."

There was one more thing Dylan had to know before he left the room. "I'm being lenient because you have risked your own life for the crew of the Andromeda more than once and because Trance assures me you would never do anything to endanger us. What would you have done if I had ordered your imprisonment?"

Alura lifted one eyebrow. "I would have fought my way free. Drago needs me, and no matter what I did or did not do, I would die before I would let someone take me away from him."

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When Lecy brought Drago into the hangar ten minutes later, Harper and Trance were with them. Drago simply ran to his mother and flung his arms around her, but the other three stared in shock at the guards who still had their weapons pointed at Alura.

"What's going on?" Lecy asked.

Alura smiled sadly, "Something that I needed to do didn't sit right with Captain Hunt. Nothing to worry about."

"Would you guys mind pointing the guns elsewhere while we say good-bye?" Harper asked nervously.

Lecy gave one of the guards a look and all four lowered their weapons. Harper moved forward to hug Alura.

"Take care of each other," he said, loud enough for Drago to hear too.

"We will," Alura assured him. She smiled fondly at Harper as he pulled away, "Try not to get yourself into too much trouble."

"Trouble? Me?" Harper asked with a mock innocent expression.

He grinned before turning to walk away.

Lecy hugged Drago and then Alura, saying, "Just because you're leaving doesn't mean I'm going to stop being your friend."

"I know," Alura assured her. "And thank you."

Lecy left, and Trance was the only one left to say good-bye to. Alura almost wished she could ask her mother to come with them, but she knew Trance belonged on the Andromeda with Dylan, the man she loved. Tears came to Alura's eyes. She wasn't sure how she was going to stand saying good-bye to her mother after only having been able to know her for several months.

Trance hugged Drago and sent the little boy into the ship. A single tear trickled down Alura's face and Trance stood closer and wiped it away, drawing Alura into her arms.

"I love you, my daughter, never forget that. If you ever have need of me, don't hesitate to send for me. And you better stay in touch."

Alura pulled back slightly and kissed her mother's cheek. "I'll find a way, I promise."

Alura turned away abruptly, needing to get away from her mother's sadness.

"Good-bye," she heard Trance whisper as the ramp closed behind her.

Danny appeared beside her as she walked toward the bridge, "Where to?"

"The nearest supply post, we'll need to stock up before we make any lasting decisions."

"Aye, Commodore," Danny answered.

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**Preview:** Life on the Andromeda goes on. Also, Alura ties up loose ends, and she and Drago find a place to live.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis.

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Telemachus woke with a silent inner groan. His head felt odd, more of a headache kind of ache than a hit-in-the-head kind if pain. He opened his eyes to find himself in med deck on an examining table. Trance was nearby, watching him with one of the saddest expressions he had ever seen on the alien's golden face. He frowned, alerting her to the fact that he was awake.

Trance's sad countenance vanished, replaced by a compassionate but cheerful look. She moved closer and helped him sit up, passing a scanning device over different portions of his head. He waited silently for an explanation.

"How are you feeling?" Trance asked.

"Odd," he answered truthfully. "What happened?"

"We're not sure. You were found unconscious in your quarters. There is some indication that you're suffering a delayed reaction to a prior head injury, so you may have some memory loss. The pain you're feeling should fade soon."

"I don't remember hitting my head hard enough to do any damage," Telemachus said thoughtfully.

Trance looked at him with a bemused expression.

"Oh, right, memory loss," he murmured.

He must have hit his head pretty hard for this to be happening. Nietzscheans were fast healers in every aspect. Telemachus sighed and waited for Trance to finish scanning him.

"Alright," she smiled. "All done. Let me know if your head keeps bothering you and I'll give you something for it."

Telemachus nodded. "Am I on duty now?"

Trance shook her head as she put away her instruments. "Not until tomorrow."

"Thanks," Telemachus said as he left the room.

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Trance sighed as her former son-in-law left the room. She really didn't like lying to him, but there was no helping it. The pain he was feeling was nothing more than a post-hypnotic suggestion that would fade over the next couple hours. And a little physical pain was better than what he would suffer knowing that Alura had left him.

Nietzscheans could deal with physical pain easily. They healed much more quickly than regular humans and possessed psychological aids that helped them ignore pain from the time of early adolescence. But family… mates and children… were the biggest part of who they were, and Trance didn't know how Telemachus would deal with losing his. She hoped she didn't have to find out. The memory-altering ability she had used was not final. There were many things that could trigger the memories coming back.

Trance could only hope that they wouldn't until after Telemachus had met and settled down with Louisa. He'd have her for support and comfort then, and he might even be able to understand why Alura had done what she did, though somehow Trance doubted that last part.

Alura had told Trance that Telemachus would love Louisa with a desperation that he did not feel for Alura. Trance wasn't sure she believed that. Nietzscheans primarily mated to procreate, love was very rare among their race, and Trance knew beyond a doubt that Telemachus loved her daughter. What was so great about Louisa Messereau that Telemachus would be better off with her?

Old tigers, sensing the end, are at their most fierce, a voice seemed to whisper. 

The end? Trance sat down heavily. If somehow Telemachus could sense that the end was approaching, would he be desperate to love, desperate to have a mate? Desperate enough to fool himself into loving someone he might not in normal circumstances? Trance had no choice but to wait and see.

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Telemachus' first duty shift after Alura's departure was the next morning. Beka was on command deck, along with Dylan and Harper. Dylan acknowledged the Nietzschean with his normal small nod. Beka smiled slightly from her place at the pilot's station, and Harper gave one of his nervous half-grin-half-grimace expressions. Telemachus looked at Harper oddly, his eyebrows rising in question when Harper just continued to look at him.

"A Nietzschean, a Magog and a Nightsider walk into a bar," Harper began.

Dylan cleared his throat loudly and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be working on the slipstream core, Mr. Harper?"

"Sure, boss," Harper said with a half-hearted smile. "On my way there right now."

When Harper was out of earshot, Telemachus asked the room in general, "Is it just me or is Harper even more nervous than usual?"

"Harper is, well, Harper," Beka answered lightly in an attempt at normalcy.

One corner of Telemachus' mouth twitched up momentarily before he nodded in a serious manner. He turned his attention to his station, and Beka got back to work. Half her mind was still on Telemachus, however. He seemed to be doing well, pretty much his old self from before Alura had ever come onboard. But she couldn't help feeling a bit worried. His old self had never been as happy as he had been when with Alura.

Beka never really understood precisely why she didn't like Alura. Sure, she didn't trust Alura because she knew the other woman was hiding things, but Alura had never actually done anything to hurt any of them until she had left Telemachus. In fact, she had helped them at every turn, risking her own life several times for them. Maybe it was a territorial thing. Rommie was an android, and Trance was a soft, gentle person until significantly provoked. Beka had been the dominant female onboard for years, and then came Alura.

Alura had never taken crap from Beka, had even stood her ground every time Beka tried to confront her. And she was younger than Beka, and arguably quite beautiful. Add that to the fact that she had been Tyr's daughter and had quickly become the most important person in Telemachus' life, and Beka could admit, to herself at least, that she had been a little jealous.

She still didn't understand why Alura would give up having Telemachus in her life. Beka decided to give it a few days before approaching Trance about it. They hadn't had one of their "girl talk" nights in quite some time, and Beka knew it would be better to give Trance some time to get over not being near her daughter before she bought the subject up.

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Trance lay on her bunk on the Eureka Maru and stared at the ceiling, unseeing. She and Dylan had gotten into a fight about Alura, and she had decided to sleep away from him for the night in order to let them both cool off. Dylan wanted to know what else Alura had done when she had activated full privacy mode before leaving. He didn't believe that Trance didn't know.

But she really didn't. Trance did agree that going to that mode was overkill just to erase video files of Alura and Telemachus together, but she had no idea what else Alura might have been doing. Whatever it was, she trusted that Alura hadn't done it to hurt them. Sighing, Trance turned onto her side, finding it difficult to get used to sleeping without Dylan beside her after the last several months.

Trance found herself standing on the ship Alura would someday command. Instead of just a brief Vision like the one she'd had several months ago, she was actually _in_ it this time, standing several feet away from the children gathered in front of her daughter and the men standing near her.

She still couldn't see the men's faces, but one of the three was wearing a High Guard uniform in the same style as Alura's. A style not worn by those on the Andromeda Ascendant, which one of the other men _was_ wearing. The third man, well, she couldn't even see his clothes. Which seemed odd, because how could someone's clothing tell her who it was? She had no doubt that it was simply to hide his identity.

Trance turned her attention to the children, noticing this time that they were not simply grouped together, but organized in two rows in seeming age order. There was a gap between the first three, all girls, and the next, a boy. Trance smiled when she noticed that the two girls she had previously identified as Telemachus' children were twins.

Aside from Drago, who was actually standing closer to the man whose clothes she couldn't see than he was to the rest of the kids, the twin girls were the only two of the children that didn't give off the aura of being at least part Avatar. Which made sense, confirming Trance's suspicions that Alura had been only just pregnant before leaving, before her Avatar half had come back full force.

Alura moved a hand to her abdomen and made a slightly disgruntled sound. It drew Trance's attention to the fact that her daughter was pregnant yet again.

The man in Andromeda-version uniform put a hand over Alura's and asked in a Vision-distorted voice, "Jumping on your bladder again?"

Alura nodded. She glanced down at the gap Trance had noticed and turned toward Drago.

"Where are..."

Before Alura could even finish, Drago answered, "On the way with Danny."

Alura smiled and then looked directly at Trance. "Have you figured out the new holo-recorder yet, Mom?"

"Just about," Trance answered without trying to.

She felt an arm wrap around her waist, and glanced beside her to smile up at Dylan. Just then Danny came into the room, dressed in the same type of uniform as Alura and one of the men. With him were three children. One was a teenage girl, about the same age as Drago. She was Nietzschean. She was carrying a boy, part-Avatar part-Nietzschean. The boy was obviously Telemachus and Alura's son. He was the right age to be in age order between the three girls and the other boy.

But it was the third child that caused Trance to gasp. He looked around eight years old and had sandy hair, clear blue eyes and golden skin.

And he looked right at her and called happily, "Mommy!"

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"Be sure to go wide enough to skirt all of that debris field," Alura instructed calmly.

Drago nodded and carefully moved the controls. It was the second time he had sat in the pilot's chair, and he was doing very well. Cautious, but good. The controls that were normally recessed into the floor were active for the benefit of his lessons. Drago turned his head to look at her and she smiled reassuringly. He smiled back and his excitement washed over her in a wave before he returned his attention to the screen in front of him.

Knowing he would be absorbed in flying for the next several minutes at the very least, Alura moved to the back of command deck and sat down in one of the chairs there. It had been two weeks since they had left the Andromeda, and the questions still hadn't stopped floating through her mind. She knew that she had to do what she did, but was it right to take Drago away from the stability of the Andromeda?

It had been his choice to come with her, but she knew Drago missed Telemachus and the others. And his lessons were not quite as thorough and varied as they had been, she and Danny now the only ones available to teach him. She'd have to make sure there were available tutors wherever they ended up. And then of course, there was the problem of who Drago was. He wouldn't be able to fulfill his destiny unless he got along well with other Nietzscheans. Alura doubted other Nietzscheans would even give him a chance if they knew he had been raised exclusively by her.

They had gotten some odd looks at the market drift they had stopped on two weeks ago, and there had only been humans there. The darker looks they had received had made both of them nervous. Though they'd been forced to wait for certain parts they ordered to be delivered and had had to stay at the drift for nearly a week, they had ended up remaining on the Dance most of that time.

But their stay there had served two purposes, one of them unexpected but necessary. The first, of course, was to stock up on supplies. The second, unexpected result was Alura realizing that they next needed to make a trip to Tarazed. Telemachus' family needed to be told of the separation, and she wasn't going to trust the news to a relayed message. She had to visit Isis and Baldur personally.

Danny appeared near her and looked around command, frowning slightly. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he turned to stare at her and a smile lit his features.

"What?" she asked.

"I heard a faint, accelerated heartbeat and got worried. And then I got confused because I could hear that your heart and Drago's are normal."

Alura sat up straighter in alarm, "Do we have a stowaway?"

Danny laughed, "In a sense."

"Danny," Alura drew out his name in a threatening growl.

He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice enough to allow only her to hear him, "Congratulations, Commodore, I'd say you're exactly twenty-one days pregnant."

Alura fainted in shock.

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Three days later Danny approached Alura in the hydroponics bay. She was sitting under a luminescent tree, part of the self-sustaining ecology she had cultivated back when it was just the two of them on the run from the Abyss in their own reality. Alura was resting with her hands pressed palm down on her still-flat abdomen. There was a look of intense concentration on her face.

"Communicating with them?" Danny asked softly.

Alura made a face at him. "Of course not. They're much too young for that, even if they were Avatar."

When she had come to after fainting, neither Danny nor Drago had left her alone until she had submitted herself to a full medical scan. She was indeed twenty-one days pregnant, the scan had revealed. With twin girls. Drago was beyond excited about his impending position as older brother, and despite everything, Alura was ecstatic that she was going to have children.

Genetically, the babies were completely Nietzschean, which in a way worried Alura all the more about their current situation. She was a half-blood, looked down upon by the great majority of Nietzscheans, and in a little over eight months she was going to have three full-blooded Nietzschean children in her care. Alura could only hope the twins at least looked slightly like her to help lessen the problems they were bound to face.

"What _were _you doing then?" Danny asked as he sat down beside her.

Alura shrugged, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. "Sending them my love."

Danny smiled softly. They sat in companionable silence for awhile until Danny broke it with another question.

"Why aren't you in bed sleeping? Drago's been out for hours. You haven't been sleeping enough at all lately, and I could understand you not being comfortable since you just... lost your husband. But now you have _them_ to consider."

"I know," she said softly. "But I'm half-Avatar again."

"The dreams," Danny said as he realized what she was so hesitant about.

Alura nodded and sighed. "I never thought they could get worse than they were right after home was destroyed, but they are. Just... death and pain and suffering with no end in sight. And not having the control I had then makes me feel them even deeper. It makes it a little difficult to sleep."

"I'm sorry," Danny said.

Alura smiled tiredly. "I know, thank you." She sighed softly before asking, "How long before we reach Tarazed?"

"We should be there by midday tomorrow."

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Alura fidgeted nervously with her right hand raised to knock on the outer door to the Majorem Pride complex. Drago squeezed her left hand gently to show his support, and she smiled down at him before taking a breath and knocking sharply. She and Drago were both cloaked in heavy black material that hid their faces well. Alura wasn't in the mood to attract undue attention, and Drago had taken the cue from her.

"Yes?" a woman frowned at them when she opened the door.

"I'm here to see Baldur Rhade," Alura said, standing tall and speaking proudly. "You can tell him Alura Anasazi is calling."

The woman frowned deeper but allowed them into the entryway.

"Wait here," she instructed.

A few minutes later Alura and Drago were shown into a small sitting room. Baldur was waiting for them, along with a red-haired woman Alura had never seen. Baldur walked forward and embraced Alura. Surprised, Alura hugged him back. She was amused when Drago let Baldur embrace him as well, but in a way the man _had_ been Drago's grandfather for a time even if they had never before met in person.

"Alura, this is my second wife, Jess."

The wife of his heart, Alura knew from Telemachus.

"It's nice to meet you," Alura said to the other woman. But she didn't want to draw out what was coming and have them all get comfortable together when Baldur and Jess weren't likely to be happy with her news. "I'm afraid this isn't exactly a social call."

Baldur gestured for her to sit with a slight frown, and she did so, lowering her hood but keeping her cloak around her shoulders.

"I've come to tell you that the union between myself and Telemachus has been dissolved."

Jess gasped in denial and Baldur was shocked. Alura flinched from the force of the negative emotions and hastened to finish her visit so she could leave.

"It has nothing to do with Telemachus and everything to do with me and where I come from. You can tell Isis that I am no longer in his life. But there is one thing I have to ask of you. Telemachus has had his memory altered so that he doesn't remember being my husband. I ask that you please never speak of me to him, and caution Isis to do the same."

Neither of them said anything, shock the only thing she could feel from them. Alura stood and Drago moved with her.

As they neared the door to leave, Alura turned back momentarily and pled softly, "Please, it would only hurt him, and I don't want him to hurt anymore."

She didn't stay to hear their answer.

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Alura and Drago were walking back through the market toward the shuttle that would take them back up to the docking facility where they had left the Dance when someone almost knocked Alura over by backing up suddenly. The person spun around quickly, and a slender hand shot out to steady Alura.

"I'm so sorry," the young woman attached to the hand said quickly.

She was a few inches shorter than Alura and had chesnut hair in a lively cut that fell to her chin. Her face was heart shaped and was made unique by groupings of light brown spots around her eyes and across her cheeks. She was Trillian. Alura glanced down at the hand that still steadied her arm. Boneblades. Half-Nietzschean Trillian. Alura almost laughed at the thought of how rare that particular combination must be and how she had heard about one from Achilles and now had run into one.

The half-Trillian's mouth parted slightly and her eyes rounded as she took in Alura's blue boneblades and her exotically colored face beneath the dark hood.

"Alura Anasazi?" she asked.

"Ariadne?" Alura responded in only slight surprise. "I'm sorry, your brother never told me your last name."

"Ariadne Bluteau, out of Cassandra by Ticon," Ariadne introduced herself. "My father dropped his tribe name when he married my mother."

Alura nodded her understanding and returned the introduction. "Alura Anasazi out of Trance by Tyr, and this is Drago Anasazi, out of Freya by Tyr."

Drago smiled at Ariadne from beside Alura.

"Where are you headed?" Ariadne asked.

"Back to our ship," Drago answered.

"Oh," Ariadne smiled widely. "You have to come home with me first. My mother would never let me hear the end of it if I told her I had met you and didn't bring you to see her."

Alura smiled at the other woman's enthusiasm. "Thank you, it would be an honor."

"Great! The compound's this way."

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The outside of the Valhalla Pride compound was very similar in design to the Majorem complex. Heavily fortified to withstand attack. But that was where the similarities ended. Where Majorem's interior was designed to impress and intimidate as the residence of Tarazed's most powerful Pride, Valhalla's compound was a home. It was welcoming and comforting and had obviously been structured with family in mind. There were many open areas leading into gardens, some just simple lawns where children could tumble and play.

Ariadne led Alura and Drago to the section of the compound where Cassandra and her immediate family lived, taking their cloaks when they reached a closet. Her gaze swept over them both as she smiled.

"You're both exactly as Kill described you," she remarked.

"Kill?" Drago echoed.

"Achilles," Ariadne clarified. "I've called him Kill since I was first able to talk. Come on, I think Mom's in the sunroom."

Cassandra Bluteau was indeed in the sunroom, an entire wall of which was glass looking out onto a large courtyard complete with flowerbeds, trees and a pool. There were chairs, lounges and small tables in groups interspersed in the landscape and around the water, making it an obviously favorite place for members of the Pride to gather. Cassandra was sitting in a comfortable chair just inside the door that opened onto the courtyard watching several children play a game of tag in the garden.

"Mom," Ariadne called as they entered the room. "Look who I ran into in the market."

Alura smiled as Cassandra turned to face them. Achilles took after his mother, a very beautiful woman with graying blonde hair and light blue eyes. Introductions were made, full, formal ones this time to show respect to Cassandra as sister of the Alpha of Valhalla Pride.

"It's nice to finally meet the woman my son has told me so much about," Cassandra remarked when Ariadne, Alura and Drago had sat down.

"Achilles saved my life once, and he has been a very good friend to us since," Alura hedged, easily realizing that Cassandra knew that Achilles wanted to be more than Alura's friend but not wanting to talk to the other woman about it.

Just then a young Nietzschean girl, probably around the same age as Drago, walked quietly into the room. She was on the small side, with light hair that verged on being strawberry blonde and dark blue eyes. Cassandra held an arm out and the girl moved quickly to stand beside her chair.

"Britta," Cassandra spoke gently to the girl, "would you like to show Drago your favorite spot in the garden?"

Britta glanced shyly at Drago and nodded. She took a few steps forward and held out her hand to the boy. Drago glanced at Alura to make sure it was okay before walking to Britta and putting his hand in hers. The two children smiled shyly at each other before leaving through the open double glass doors.

"Do you mind if I ask about her?" Alura asked when the two children had disappeared into the garden. "She seemed so sad."

She didn't tell them that Britta had more than 'seemed' sad. There weren't many people she would trust with the knowledge of her abilities, and as nice as Achilles' family was being to her so far, she did not truly know them yet. A wave of sadness that almost matched what Alura had felt from Britta extended from Cassandra before dying down slightly.

"We lost Donar, my son and her father, about fourteen months ago. Her mother died in childbirth years ago, and we haven't decided who in the family should take the poor dear yet. She doesn't talk or play as much as the other children and sometimes they pick on her a little for it."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Alura said softly.

"Thank you, dear. Now, what about you? What are you doing on Tarazed?"

Alura smiled without humor, "I had to go to Majorem Pride to inform Baldur Rhade that my union with his son had been dissolved. There are… extenuating circumstances that led me to have to tell him in person."

Cassandra and Ariadne shared a look, and Cassandra changed the subject.

"What are your plans now?"

"Drago and I need to find a house in an area that accepts people like me…" Nausea suddenly struck Alura and she asked quickly, "I'm sorry, where's the closest bathroom?"

"In the hall, first door to the right."

When Alura came back, Ariadne looked worried but Cassandra was smiling gently at her.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"Yes," Alura admitted proudly, "it's another reason I need to find a place for Drago and I to live where I will be at least slightly accepted. I need a safe place for my family."

"I know just the place," Cassandra said, the smile never leaving her face.

"Where?" Alura asked, relieved to have found someone who could understand her situation and help her.

"Here with us."

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**Preview:** When Tri-Jema sends Indra Xicol to the Andromeda, will Dylan betray Trance in order to discover the truth about who he can trust? Meanwhile on Tarazed, Alura is trying without success to again become accustomed to her Avatar half, and Achilles comes home on leave after a rendezvous with the Andromeda.

**Author's Note:** Before any of you ask, yes, I did research and 21 days is when a baby's heartbeat can first be heard.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis.

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"Momma?"

Alura looked across the breakfast table at Drago. Although they had been living at the Valhalla Pride compound for a week and took their midday and evening meals with Cassandra's family, they had followed the tradition they had started on Andromeda by eating breakfast alone in their suite. In the past couple days, though, Alura had wondered if she should include Britta Renier in their morning meals.

The little girl had bonded with Drago the first day they had been on Tarazed, and the two children had become inseparable since then. They played together, more often just the two of them but sometimes with the other Pride children as well, and sat together at school during the day, Britta being only a month older than Drago and in the same class. When Alura picked Drago up from the section of the compound that housed the school each day, she walked Britta back home as well. After the first day, she had begun asking if Britta wanted to stay and do her homework in Alura and Drago's suite and then play with Drago until dinnertime. Without fail, Britta had eagerly accepted every time.

Alura had been worried that Drago would take time to get used to going to an actual Pride school, but he was thriving in the new environment. The only problem his teacher had reported at the end of his first week had been an argument that had almost turned into a fight with one of the older children who had been making fun of Britta. Both the teacher and Alura had decided no punishment was necessary.

Alura had asked Cassandra more about Britta and had learned that even before her father's death Britta had been a quiet, withdrawn child. Because she wasn't a 'typical Nietzschean child', various family members weren't sure what to do to help her, and no one had been chosen to become Britta's guardian yet. So Britta spent much of her time each day with Drago and Alura, but she slept in her room in Cassandra's suite as she had since her father died.

There was an extra bedroom in the suite Alura and Drago were renting in the Renier section of Cassandra's portion of the compound, and although she had originally intended for the twins to have their own room when they were born, Alura was considering whether she should ask Cassandra to let Britta stay with them. Alura didn't want to step on any toes, but she wanted what was best for Britta. She supposed it was a bit self-serving to think she knew what that was, but she didn't think anyone would disagree.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Are we swimming today? There's no school, and me and Britta could practice for a long time if we start soon."

"Britta and I," Alura automatically corrected. Britta had only known the basics of swimming, and Alura had been teaching both children since the second day she and Drago had been living here. Drago and Britta were quick learners and would both soon be as good as she was. Alura smiled at her son, "If that's what you and Britta would like to do."

Drago looked thoughtful for a moment. "Momma?"

"Yes?" Alura asked in an amused tone.

Drago only asked for her attention each time he asked a question when he was at his most serious. When he was simply chatting, he just plowed into and through conversations.

"Do you still do Tai Chi every morning before you wake me up?"

"Yes, sweetie, I have to in order to balance my two halves."

"Oh," Drago pursed his lips. "Could you teach us to do it with you?"

"You _and_ Britta?" Alura asked, surprised.

Drago had not shown any interest in learning Tai Chi when they were living on the Andromeda. She didn't know why that would have changed now or why he would have told the little girl about it.

"We wanna help you," he said quietly as he nodded.

Alura reached across to Drago and clasped the six-year-old's hand in hers. She could feel his genuine concern for her, and it made her wonder, not for the first time, how easy it was for others to tell she wasn't doing that well. Her nightmare Visions hadn't gotten any better, showing her nothing but death and suffering, mostly humans at the claws and teeth of the Magog, and Alura was finding it hard to sleep each night. She often slept for only a few hours at the most before she had one of them, and when she did, there was no hope that she would be able to go back to sleep.

She only hoped she wasn't disturbing Drago's sleep when she woke in the night. Somehow Alura doubted it. If he had been waking up, he would have made his way to her room.

"Only if both of you really want to," Alura finally answered Drago.

Drago nodded again and turned his attention back to his breakfast. Alura didn't have much of an appetite herself, but she forced herself to eat to keep up her strength. For the lives growing inside her, and for the two children she would once again be spending the day with. She was just thankful she hadn't been plagued by morning sickness.

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Trance sighed as Dylan started another argument about Alura and what she might have done before leaving the Andromeda. So far there hadn't been anything that had happened that might have been a negative impact of Alura's actions in those forty-five seconds, but Dylan was unwilling to let something that had to with his ship go.

"Dylan," she interrupted.

He turned from his pacing to stare at her.

"If you no longer want to be with me, that's fine. But stop trying to use whatever it was I thought we had to get information about Alura. I am telling you for the last time that I don't know what she did, and I've stopped caring. She's gone, and I don't think she's ever coming back. I gave up my family to stay here with you. Please don't make me regret it."

Trance left the room before Dylan could react. She didn't let her tears slip until she was in the hall. She had always known Dylan's obsession with restoring the Commonwealth came first, making the Andromeda both his greatest weapon and the only thing that tied him to his past, but she had never thought that the ship would come between them. She had also believed that he trusted her implicitly, but that was evidently not the case. If he did, he would not keep asking her what she didn't know.

She wouldn't leave the Andromeda, at least not yet. Trance knew she still had work to do here. But when it was safe to leave the crew to their collective fates, she would do so. She would find a way to track down Alura and spend her daughter's lifetime in whatever capacity Alura and Drago needed her in. And then she would rejoin the Nebula. Her time as a corporeal being was pointless to her without Dylan to share it with.

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"What just happened?" Dylan mused aloud.

The holographic AI of his ship appeared a few feet from him and said, "You started yet another fight with Trance about Alura, and Trance finally had enough."

Dylan blinked, frowning at the AI. "It was a rhetorical question."

"Captain, permission to speak freely," the holographic Andromeda requested.

"You've never asked permission before," Dylan said tiredly.

When she didn't immediately speak, Dylan waved his hand in a 'go ahead' motion.

"You indicated to me more than a year ago that you trusted Trance without a hint of doubt. And yet now you won't believe that she doesn't know anything about what Alura did. There has been no word from Alura, and everyone onboard, with the exception of Commander Rhade of course, knows Trance misses her daughter. With how busy we've been lately, you haven't been spending much time with Trance, and when you do you're arguing with her."

Dylan sighed. "I know. I think part of me is afraid to be happy with her. That I still think she'll find a reason to leave like Alura did."

"If things keep going this way, I wouldn't blame her for doing so," Andromeda responded quietly.

A wry smile lifted the corners of Dylan's mouth. "I am making the situation into a self-fulfilling prophecy, aren't I?"

The Andromeda smiled back before disappearing. Dylan left his room to go find Trance.

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"I'm sorry," Dylan said when Trance opened her door.

Trance took a step back so Dylan could enter her quarters. Closing the door, Trance followed Dylan to her sofa. When she tried to sit further down the seat from him, Dylan reached out and snagged her arm, drawing her onto his lap. Trance avoided his eyes, not wanting him to see how hurt she still was, but Dylan cupped her face in his big hands and turned her gaze up to his.

"I'm sorry, Trance. I don't mean to hurt you. I never want to do that."

He kissed her gently to punctuate his words, and Trance couldn't help but respond. After a few soft kisses, she pulled away slightly to study the face of the man she loved.

"Deep down I know you're telling the truth," he said softly. "You always do. I'll try not to bring Alura up anymore. I love you, and I don't want to push you away. I don't want to lose you." He admitted softly, "I can't."

Trance pretended to think about it for a minute. "As long as you keep your word and stop asking about Alura, I suppose I could forgive you."

Dylan smiled. "You _suppose_, huh?"

He kissed her for her insolence, and Trance thought to herself that if this was punishment, she should misbehave more often.

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"You're sure you want this?" Cassandra asked carefully.

Cassandra, Odin, and a few of the other Renier members of the Valhalla Pride were meeting with Alura to discuss the possibility of Britta temporarily moving in with Alura and Drago. Alura had approached Cassandra the same day Drago had mentioned he and Britta wanting to learn Tai Chi, and now two days later the closest relatives of the young girl were here to decide whether to let someone who wasn't even a member of their Pride take care of one of their own.

Achilles was on duty somewhere in space, and the deceased Donar's two full sisters, Electra and Helen, didn't have a problem with the arrangement, they had families of their own, including very young babies, and neither of them really had the time to give Britta the extra attention she needed. But Odin Renier's other living son, Ajax, had been frowning throughout the meeting. It was the first time Alura had met him since he didn't eat with the rest of the family, and she found herself wondering why. She could feel that he was contemptuous of her, but she had no way of knowing how she might have offended him.

"Yes," she answered firmly. "Britta and Drago are already inseparable, and I feel that I have made a connection with her as well."

"No one is disputing that, my dear," Odin replied, smiling reassuringly at her. "We just want to make sure you really want to take on the added responsibility, especially in your condition."

Alura laughed lightly, "I'm pregnant, not impaired." Most of the other adults smiled their approval of her comment; pregnant Nietzscheans were treated with a great deal of care, but to use it as an excuse for weakness was frowned upon. "Britta already spends most of her time with us, I wouldn't be taking on much more than I already have."

"Very well," Cassandra said. "Unless anyone has any objections, I hereby grant temporary guardianship of Britta Renier to Alura Anasazi."

"Thank you," Alura responded.

She stayed in the room a few minutes after the others had left to more personally thank Odin and Cassandra. When she exited the room into the hall, Ajax Renier was waiting for her. Though he had gotten his father's light brown hair and his mother's blue eyes, Ajax did not seem to have inherited either of his parents' warm natures. He stepped close to her, a deep frown marring his brow.

"If I find out you're after something from my family, I will make you pay."

Alura was so surprised by the threat that she was unable to respond before Ajax had turned away and left. She made her way slowly to her suite, where Ariadne had been watching Britta and Drago while Alura was at the meeting. Not wanting the two children's hopes to come to life only to have them dashed, Alura had not told Drago what the meeting was about. When Alura came in the door, still mulling over why Ajax might think she was some kind of threat, Ariadne immediately walked up to her.

"They said no?" she asked in astonishment.

"What?" Alura responded. "Oh, no, they said yes."

Alura smiled to show Ariadne that she was happy about the decision and moved to tell the news to the children. Britta and Drago were both ecstatic, and after both of them had hugged Alura, they ran off to the room next to Drago's to plan where Britta's things would be moved. But Ariadne would not be distracted.

"If they said yes, what's the problem?"

Alura sighed and sat down with Ariadne on the couch. "Your brother Ajax doesn't seem to like me."

She told the younger woman about the confrontation in the hall and how Ajax had acted during the meeting. Ariadne scowled the whole time.

"Ajax is a jerk," Ariadne said when Alura had finished. "He looks down on Terren and I just because we're half-Trillian. My guess is he just doesn't like you because of what you are. Not that it's an excuse, mind you, but I've never really understood Ajax. Odin has no problem with Mom's marriage to my father, so I don't see why Ajax would, but he's always been that way. Just ignore him. Shouldn't be hard since he's hardly ever around."

"I'm sure you're right," Alura said softly.

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"Rhade, your shift ended three minutes ago."

Telemachus looked up and nodded curtly to Beka. She watched, amused, as he finished the scan he had been doing before leaving his console and command deck. But her amusement of his uncharacteristic missing of the shift change faded when she noticed how slowly he was moving. Not slow by human standards to be sure, but he no longer moved with all the energy and drive she had come to expect from him.

Over the past several weeks, Beka had not been the only one that had noticed that Telemachus had become more and more withdrawn from the rest of the crew, even though he always ate his meals with groups of people. He was becoming as gruff and unforgiving as he had been when they had first met him. It made her realize just how much Telemachus really had changed as a member of the crew. What was making him regress? Could it be that whatever had been done to make Telemachus forget Alura was wearing off?

Beka shook her head at her own silent question. If Telemachus had remembered something, he would be making an effort to find Alura. One of the most obvious ways of doing that would be approaching Trance. And Telemachus hadn't done that.

Putting her concern over her Nietzschean crewmate, Beka turned her musings to her once-purple friend. A few weeks ago, about a month after Alura had left, Beka had approached Trance about having a "girl's night" on the Maru, and they had become a weekly occurrence since. Trance laughed and gossiped, slyly avoiding personal questions about sheand Dylan's relationship. All normal Trance things to do, but Beka still knew Trance was worried about her daughter. She had known the Avatar too long to not recognize the signs. It had been almost two months since Alura and Drago had left, and there had been no word from the half-Avatar at all.

Where were they?

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Achilles followed the sound of laughter to the courtyard off the Renier section of his family's portion of the Valhalla compound. He would have been in shock if his mother and sister hadn't already filled him in on everything that had happened in the past month and a half.

When Trance had told him a couple days ago on the Andromeda that Alura had left a little over two months before and not to mention her name to Telemachus, he never in his wildest dreams would have expected to find her living in his Pride's compound, with his family. But his own mother had pulled him aside the moment he was home and explained how it had happened, as well as everything that had occurred as a result.

He was glad. Or maybe ecstatic was more the right word. Feeling the way he did about her and knowing how much she loved her husband, Achilles would have preferred for Alura to be happy with Telemachus onboard the Andromeda, but if she had to be anywhere else in the universe, he was glad she had chosen to stay with his family. But he would have to find out from her exactly why she had left the Andromeda and Telemachus, because Trance had been unwilling to discuss it with him.

The courtyard that was off his rooms (and the rooms Alura, Drago and Britta were now occupying next to his) was one of the smaller ones in the compound, but it did have a pool. And that was where he found Alura, Drago and his niece Britta. Britta was laughing with Drago as they took turns being tossed through the air back into the water by Alura, who stood waist deep in the shallower end of the pool. Britta being that happy was something else that would have shocked him if Ariadne had not gushed so much about how Alura and Drago had drawn the little girl out of her shell, at least around them.

He hung back in the doorway for several minutes just watching them play. Drago was dressed in a pair of blue shorts, his wet curls falling into his eyes occasionally. When they did, he either tossed his head back or swiped them away with a careless hand.

Britta's strawberry blonde hair was in two braids and she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit with a cartoon lion on the front. She looked the happiest Achilles could remember seeing her since long before her father's death. Even when Donar had been alive, he had not been home often, throwing himself into work after his wife died. Britta had suffered for it, never quite sure who would be there when she needed someone. She had not bonded with anyone else the way she had with Drago and Alura.

Alura had her hair down, the heavy mass hanging in wet, curly tendrils down her back. Her pregnancy wasn't yet far enough along to be showing beyond a slight swelling of her abdomen, and she was wearing a two-piece swimsuit that showed off nearly all of the exotic coloring that existed on every inch of her skin. Achilles couldn't help but stare at her. But when she visibly began to tire, not tossing the kids as far as she had been, he moved forward.

"Can I play, too?" he asked as he approached the pool.

Drago and Britta turned back to their swimming after giving him brief waves, but Alura stared for a moment, an almost confused look on her face. Whatever had been bothering her seemed to pass, and Alura moved toward the edge of the pool, smiling at him. He moved closer and crouched down so that they could speak to one another easier.

"Welcome home, Kill." He smiled wider when she called him by his familial nickname; she must have been spending a lot of time with Ariadne. "You may want to change if you're going to get in the water with us."

Achilles nodded. "Alright, but no more throwing them until I get back, you shouldn't be wearing yourself out."

Alura's smile gentled, showing him that she knew he was referring to her pregnancy.

"We're fine," she said softly.

He reached forward with one hand and tucked a strand of hair, made a much darker blue by the fact that it was wet, behind her ear.

"Congratulations," Achilles whispered. "I'm very happy for you."

"Thank you," Alura responded lightly. "Now go get changed, the kids will want to be tossed again in a few minutes."

Achilles stood and moved toward his rooms. He had always enjoyed his work and never minded being away from home, but now he was happy to have a week off duty. He suddenly found himself wishing it were a lot longer.

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Achilles was back in a few minutes, his rooms only a few feet away as were the ones Alura shared with Drago and Britta. The little girl had become so close with she and Drago that Alura wasn't sure what would happen if she and Drago had to leave Tarazed. Alura had no official claim to Britta since the girl had a large family, no right to take her away from Valhalla Pride, but she knew Britta had connected with Drago, and with her, almost immediately and that the connection had only deepened over the past month and a half. Separating them now would hurt all three of them. Alura filed the concern away in the back of her mind. There was no solution yet, and stress wasn't good for her or her unborn children.

Alura smiled as Achilles slipped into the water, a visible shudder shaking his muscular frame when he submerged himself quickly.

"Cold?" Alura teased.

"Mm," Achilles murmured in agreement. "But it feels good now that I'm used to it."

Alura nodded. "Before we came here, I hadn't been swimming in years. I missed it. And, of course, Drago had never been before."

"It must have been hard on both of you growing up. Though you'd hardly believe he had never been swimming until a little over a month ago to look at him now."

Alura smiled again, and the two adults watched silently as Britta and Drago played. Alura watched Achilles out of the corner of her eye, trying to figure out why she couldn't feel anything from him. It had surprised her when she had turned to look at him and seen that the Light inside of him was the same intensity as Dylan's, but the fact that her empathic abilities apparently didn't work on him was a bit worrisome. She had never met anyone in her own reality that she could not get at least a faint reading from, but she couldn't feel anything at all from him. Was it possible that her abilities here were different than they had been in her own reality? If so, this was the first thing that had made her think so.

Achilles noticed her thoughtful glances and asked what was wrong. After only a momentary hesitation, she told him, leaving out the part about his Light being so bright. Achilles was silent for several minutes before he went along with her theory.

"Maybe your abilities _are_ just different now." He looked in her eyes to show he was serious, "If you ever want to know what I am thinking or feeling, all you have to do is ask."

Remembering all the things, big and little, that he had done for her since the first time they had met, Alura asked softly, "Why have you always been so good to me?"

"Don't you know?" Achilles asked. Something sparked in his light blue eyes as he continued to stare down into her dark ones. "I love you."

Alura's mouth fell open in surprise, and Achilles moved away from her through the water to begin tossing Drago and Britta through the air as she had done earlier.

She had known, of course, from the way he had always treated her and the fact that he had told her that he wouldn't mind being her second husband that he was interested in her, but she'd had no idea that he loved her. Nietzscheans loved their children, but feeling _that_ kind of love was rare. When it was felt, it was deep and passionate… and almost always for life.

And although she could not actually feel what Achilles was feeling, there was no doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth. She suddenly felt as if she deserved none of this. The support of his mother and sister, the closeness with his niece, the safe place to live. She had a feeling that all of it was because of his feelings for her. How had she been lucky enough in this universe to have two good men who loved her that way when in her own she had always been alone?

With a strange sense of calm that somehow made her think that everything would turn out alright if she just gave it a chance, Alura turned her attention back to her three companions, gliding silently to the steps that led up out of the water to sit on one that kept the water level just below her chest. Achilles played with the children for twenty minutes before he began to tire.

When Drago and Britta showed no sign of wanting to get out of the pool, Achilles went and got them a small weight. The two children took turns diving for the object. Achilles joined Alura on her partially submerged perch.

"My telling you isn't going to make things awkward between us, is it?" Achilles asked softly, his worry clear in his voice even if Alura couldn't really feel it.

"No," she assured him softly. "I'm glad you told me, I just..."

Achilles cut her off, "I know you still love Telemachus, and I know that won't change. I just wanted you to know. I don't expect anything from you."

Alura smiled sadly, "I hope you'll still accept my friendship."

"Of course," Achilles said quickly, smiling back at her. He studied her for a few moments before turning serious again. "Will you tell me why you left the Andromeda?"

Alura nodded slowly and took a deep, fortifying breath before explaining everything to him. Achilles was silent during her tale, but by the end of it he had wrapped his arm around her in support.

"So you didn't find out you were with child until you had left?"

Alura nodded.

"Are you going to go back and tell him?" Achilles asked. "He has a right to know he's going to be a father."

The blue skinned woman's gaze traveled to her son, her eyes sad. "Someday. When I know he's met up with Louisa and their life together is solid enough to withstand her knowing about me. Luckily the twins are both girls, so he won't have to disown them when they're born."

Achilles frowned deeply. "Why would he have to do it if you had a boy?"

"You know as well as I do what position Telemachus will eventually have in his Pride; you were the one who first told me. Majorem Pride would never accept a mixed blood Alpha after Telemachus. He would have no choice but to disown a son born from me in order for a pure blood Nietzschean to be his heir. And how would I explain that to my child? That he wasn't good enough for a bunch of shallow brained..."

Alura broke off and shook her head, fighting tears.

Achilles tilted her head toward him and gently kissed her forehead. "You're right. The situation is horrible and wrong. I'm ashamed to admit that even though Valhalla Pride accepts those of mixed blood they probably wouldn't accept one as their Alpha. It's something that is too deeply ingrained in Nietzscheans, and it will take time to overcome it. Much more time than just one generation. But, like you said, you're lucky enough to have two beautiful little girls growing inside you."

Alura smiled, "Why do I get the feeling you're a little biased about that?"

Achilles laughed lightly before his expression became serious again. "I know I'm overstepping my bounds, but I want to be there for you when they're born. As well as however long you might need support before you return to Rhade."

Looking up to once more meet his lighter blue eyes, Alura's smile softened. "I'd like that."

Britta and Drago chose that moment to tire of swimming and made their way to where the two adults were lounging. Britta shyly greeted her uncle but stayed closer to the mother and son she had been living with for several weeks.

"Would you three like to join me in visiting the zoo tomorrow?" Achilles asked, mostly to Britta and Drago.

Britta immediately smiled and turned to Alura, "Can we?"

Alura smiled in delight, a matching smile on Drago's face. They both still got excited whenever Britta spoke.

"Of course we can."

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"They'll miss you," Alura observed as Britta and Drago left with Ariadne, who had volunteered to walk them to school so Achilles and Alura could say good-bye. "They've gotten so used to spending almost as much time with you as they do with me."

Achilles had already finished his good-byes to both children, hugging each of them and then both at once. Achilles had easily made his own place in their little family unit. Alura had been surprised but pleased that Drago hadn't been resentful of the other male. She knew it helped that they had been friends before from Achilles' periodic visits to the Andromeda.

"Does that mean you won't?" he asked softly.

Her gaze swung to his. "Do you even have to ask?"

"I'm sorry," Achilles responded. "I shouldn't have been fishing."

"Yes, I'll miss you," Alura admitted. "More than I thought I would. But you'll be back."

A grin lit the male's handsome features. "Not even the Abyss himself could keep me away."

Alura laughed. "I bet you say that to all the women."

The smile faded from Achilles' face. He lifted one hand to cup her face.

"Not even close. There is no one else, Alura, I think you know that."

Alura blushed and glanced away. Achilles let go of her and cleared his throat, making a show of checking what time it was. He didn't have long before he had to leave for his ship. He moved to his bags and took something out of the outside pocket.

"I want you to have these," Achilles said, handing two daggers to Alura.

Alura pulled one out of its sheath to admire the workmanship and test its weight in her hand.

"They're beautiful, but I can't take them."

"Yes, you can," he corrected gently but firmly. "Sometimes it's easier to fight with knives, especially in close combat. I want you to be as safe as possible. Please, for me."

With a soft sigh, Alura nodded her consent.

Achilles smiled. "Good. Now, as far as I can tell, barring complications, I'll be back in a month. The Andromeda is my last stop. Do you have the letter for your mother ready?"

Alura nodded and got the missive from the table a few feet away. When she handed it to him with a sad expression, he pulled her into his arms, resting his chin atop her head.

"You'll see her again," he assured.

Alura nodded against his chest, wanting to burrow into his warmth and strength. But she didn't have the right. Or the time.

"You have to go," she reminded him gently.

He loosened his hold on her only slightly, and Alura looked up at him. Achilles smiled gently.

"When I come back, I'm going to ask for time off starting around your seventh month. Twins are often born early, especially first pregnancy twins. I don't want to be somewhere you can't reach me when you go into labor."

"What if he won't let you?"

"Then I'll quit." When Alura opened her mouth to protest, he pressed a finger to her lips. "I want to do this, Alura. It's not an obligation or anything like that. This is truly what I want. I told you before that I wouldn't lie to you, and I meant it. No arguing."

"Alright," she conceded softly.

Achilles pulled her into a tight hug, "I'll miss you. If something does happen, don't forget that I love you."

She smiled up at him when he pulled back slightly. Raising on her tip toes, Alura pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. He leaned into the light touch but didn't protest when she ended it. His eyes told her how much the small gesture had meant to him, though.

"Try to get more sleep, Alura, you look tired."

After his admonishment, Achilles kissed her on the forehead and left.

"I'll try," Alura said softly, knowing that unfortunately it really wasn't up to her.

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Telemachus sat at the small table in the living room area of his suite. The package that had been delivered with the rest of the crew's various messages and supplies during Achilles Renier's most recent meeting with Dylan was sitting on the table. It had been sitting there for four days already. Telemachus was nervous about opening it. Mostly because he was sure whatever was inside was something he had ordered in one of the spaces of time he still couldn't remember.

Lately he had been getting impressions of faint memories, especially when he was in the mess or on obs deck, which Trance subtly tried to keep him out of as much as possible. Trance seemed unaware that he realized what she was doing, and that her very presence seemed to stir the need to remember in him.

It was the first thing he had noticed was wrong several weeks before. Trance was an intriguing individual, but she had never truly meant anything to him. But now it seemed that something connected to her mattered more than anything ever had. It had taken Telemachus a week to realize Trance's daughter, Alura Anasazi, who for some reason seemed faintest in his mind, was no longer on the Andromeda. That realization more than a month ago had stayed with him and made him all the more aware of the ache inside himself. She hadn't been onboard for a little over three months now.

Sometimes he'd be sitting alone eating and he'd think of something he wanted to share and turn to talk to someone who wasn't there. Telemachus sat with others more often now, but he kept silent, no one able to fill the void he felt both by his side and inside himself. He even tolerated Harper more often than he had before, if only because the young human could almost annoy him to the point where he would momentarily forget his own troubles.

On one of his absentminded morning walks through Andromeda's halls, he had wound up in hangar one, his feet itching to run the perimeter. But the large, empty space had seemed to be filled with whispers, and Telemachus had avoided the hangar since. The few times he had considered working out on obs deck, he had felt strange, phantom sensations, like there was supposed to be someone beside him working out with him, sparring with him. As a result, he had taken to limiting his workouts to the front room of his suite. The sensation was still there, but it was manageable.

And his body knew a new type of focusing exercise he couldn't at first remember learning. He knew, from hours of intense concentration on simply trying to remember, that Alura had been the one to teach him. He also knew it had brought them closer together because it had been something that was important to her, but it had taken a lot to remember even that much.

He knew there was a lot more he couldn't remember. He was pretty sure it had something to do with Alura, but if they'd had more of a relationship than just friendship, why would the crew be hiding it from him, and why couldn't he remember? The more he thought about it, the more he knew it had to be true. As far as he could tell, Trance's daughter had left very close to the day he had woken up in med deck with chunks of his memory missing. Was she the one that had made him forget?

The thought that he might have done something to chase her away haunted him for a day and a half before he had called up all surveillance files of her. It had proven to be a dead end that left him with even more questions. There were very few files of her, and the ones she _was_ in, he wasn't. He knew from what he _had_ remembered that there were many files on her that were missing. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure Telemachus couldn't find out exactly what he and Alura had meant to each other.

The fact that he missed her desperately and that he also missed her adopted son, Drago, made him both elated and furious. That there was someone out there that he felt that strongly about even though he couldn't remember everything that they had shared gave him a hope he had never known before. But no one on the crew talked about her when he was in hearing range, so he knew there was a shipwide conspiracy to hide the truth from him. Telemachus had no idea how to find out the truth without asking, and he wasn't ready to risk them knowing how much he had remembered and maybe making him forget it again.

With a deep sigh, Telemachus turned his attention back to the box in front of him. He opened it carefully, only to find another box snugly packed inside, this one wrapped beautifully. His heart pounding suddenly, Telemachus lifted out the gift. There was a small card attached with a brief message. As he read it, a searing pain filled his head.

'_For my beloved wife, Happy Birthday.'_

He clutched his head with both hands, shocked when his nose started bleeding for a few moments. Memories flashed by in his mind's eye. Of Alura, his wife. And of Drago, who he had adopted when he mated with Alura. There were only a few memories, and he knew there was still a lot he couldn't remember, most of their life together in fact, but he did recall ordering a necklace he had designed himself to match Alura's helix band. His own left bicep felt bare now that he remembered having worn a helix band given to him by the woman he loved.

Telemachus got up and moved into the bathroom, cleaning the blood from his nose and lip and splashing cool water on his face. He clenched his jaw and fought back the urge to vomit. The pain had eased, but it had left him with the gnawing knowledge of just what he had lost. And he still didn't know _why_ he had lost them.

His reflection in the mirror above the sink caught his attention, and Telemachus studied his appearance. He hadn't cut his hair or done more than just trim his beard since what he was coming to think of as 'the incident'. Liking the way the slightly longer locks complemented the shape of his face, he decided to let it grow out. His facial hair he trimmed a bit more to give his beard a lighter, cleaner look, but it was still more than what he had grown accustomed to during his years in the Tarazed Home Guard and then in the Commonwealth.

When he was done grooming, Telemachus went back into the living room. He stood staring at the present on the table for a few minutes before the holographic version of Andromeda appeared.

"Captain Hunt has finished going through all the information Captain Renier brought him and has called a senior staff meeting in fifteen minutes."

Telemachus nodded. "Thank you, Andromeda."

The holograph tilted her head slightly. "The new look suits you."

"I just hope my wife thinks so too when I find her again," he muttered.

He couldn't think of Alura as anything other than his wife. He knew she must have taken the helix band back, but he couldn't believe that he ever would have agreed to dissolve their union.

Andromeda's mouth fell open slightly at his words, and Telemachus hastened to get her assurance that the rest of the crew wouldn't know about his slip.

"Please, don't tell anyone. I don't remember much and it took a lot to get even this little bit back. I can't lose her again; it might kill me."

The holograph's eyes softened during his desperate plea, and when he was done, she nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you," Telemachus said softly as she disappeared.

With another deep sigh, he moved slowly to the table and picked up the wrapped box. He knew it would tear at him if he let the package sit around waiting for her. Picking up the gift, he unwrapped it and took the necklace out. The starburst pattern made of sapphires was a slightly smaller version of the pattern on Alura's helix band, and Telemachus had ordered that two rubies be set on either side before the platinum chain began.

He deeply needed to feel close to her in some way, to try to fill some of the hollow inside him. He came to a decision quickly and removed the gauntlets that covered his forearms. Placing the centerpiece of the necklace on his left wrist, Telemachus wrapped the chain around his wrist twice before closing the clasp.

He knew none of the gauntlets he owned would sit right on top of the necklace. So he took out two lengths of black cloth from a drawer in his bedroom and began wrapping his hands and forearms, weaving the material around and between his bone blades and making sure it hid the necklace. It was a more casual look than the gauntlets, but if Dylan had a problem with him being slightly 'out of uniform', the captain could go take a flying leap into the Abyss.

The whole crew could. He didn't know how he knew, but he was sure he was the only one whose memories had been stolen.

Telemachus quickly cleaned up the paper and packaging the gift had been in, tucking the card into a drawer for safekeeping. Knowing he had only a few minutes to get to the senior staff meeting, Telemachus left his room, walking taller than he had in quite some time.

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When Telemachus walked into the meeting a minute late, Dylan didn't have the heart to berate him. He dismissed the feeling of guilty compassion, reminding himself that Harper was also running behind so there really was no point in yelling at Telemachus until both men were in the room. Or he could let it go and just start the meeting as soon as Harper showed up. Trance was beside Dylan at the table, and when Telemachus sat down, Dylan realized she was staring at the Nietzschean. Something was going on.

He studied his only Nietzschean officer more intently. He wasn't empathic like Trance, but even Dylan could tell something had shifted in Telemachus. He still seemed withdrawn, but in a way he was also more confident. Telemachus raised an eyebrow when he caught Dylan staring at him, then turned toward Trance and frowned.

"Would you two stop looking at me like I've grown a second head? I thought this was a meeting to discuss the information Renier brought during his last visit."

"It is, but we can talk about something else while we're waiting for Harper to…"

"Harper's here, boss!" the engineer exclaimed as he rushed into the room. "Sorry I was late, I got caught up in something."

"That's fine, Mr. Harper," Dylan nearly growled. He had no excuse to pry into his Weapons Officer's feelings and state of mind now. He'd have to wait for another opportunity to present itself. "Along with the usual updates on the war and our next diplomatic mission, Tri Lorn passed along a rumor heard about Tri Jema's forces. It seems Tri Jema is having more trouble during the war than the other two Triumvirs and she may be reconsidering her position on us."

"Why would she do that?" Beka asked. "If I remember correctly, Tri Jema went along with Pish to keep power. Why would she give up the support of the Collectors to team up with one ship full of outlaws?"

"That's why it's a rumor, Beka. Tri Lorn feels it's a ruse to get something from us, and I think we all know there is something the Collectors want from us very much."

"The map to the Route of Ages," Telemachus said.

"Exactly," Dylan responded. "Now, this morning we received a message from Tri Jema asking that we meet with her representative to discuss what we feel is best for the Commonwealth."

"Who is she sending?" Telemachus asked.

"Indra Xicol."

Dylan's answer made everyone stare at Trance. It was common knowledge that the Captain and Medical Officer were in love and happy together. But could that stand up to Indra Xicol's influence? There were whispers that whatever race she was, and it was known through hundreds of planetary systems that she wasn't a normal human, it must be a race that secreted a high level of pheromones. The mysterious woman was said to be able to seduce any man without even trying.

"Captain," Telemachus said. "Ask her to send someone else."

"I can't do that, Rhade. What possible excuse could I give?"

"Captain," Telemachus growled this time. "Tri Jema has hundreds of ambassadors and diplomats she could send if she were truly interested in forming an alliance with us. Indra Xicol is only being sent to seduce and betray you."

Telemachus watched out of the corner of his eye as Trance flinched at his words, flinching with her in sympathy. He wasn't trying to hurt her, only stop Dylan from doing so.

"And we have exactly one week to find a way to not tip our hand and let Indra know that we know."

The small group was silent for several minutes, each of them deep in thought except for Telemachus. He'd go along with whatever brilliant plan they all came up with, but right now he was more concerned about his mother-in-law. Wherever Alura had gone, he was sure Trance would have gone with her if the Avatar had known the man she loved was willing to betray her just to make sure Tri Jema really couldn't be trusted. He was furious with Dylan for being so nonchalant about it.

Trance noticed his concentration on her and offered him a small, sad smile. He smiled back in what he hoped was a comforting way and could have sworn that for just a moment tears had come to Trance's eyes.

"I think I may have a plan, boss."

Everyone turned his or her attention to Harper.

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Alura almost screamed when she woke in the middle of the night. The Magog attack in her Vision nightmare had been so detailed and real, and even worse, it had featured some of her former crewmates from her own reality as the victims. She swallowed hard to quell the nauseous feeling in her stomach and throat, but even though she had kicked off her covers in her sleep, her room felt stuffy and hot.

Stumbling quietly through her door and then the main room of her suite, Alura ran a few feet toward the pool in the cool courtyard before falling to her knees, sobbing. She dug her fingers into the cool grass, needing something to ground her in this reality and not the images still floating in her mind.

A minute later, strong arms wrapped around her. "Shh, shh, Alura. What's wrong? What happened?"

"Achilles?" Alura peered at him through watery eyes, sinking against him in relief. "When did you get back?"

"Hour ago. Alura, what happened?"

Alura shook her head, ashamed to have worried him. "It's nothing, just a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Alura, talk to me," Achilles demanded as he stopped her from pulling away. "This is more than a nightmare. You're shaking, baby."

Alura made a small, surprised noise at the endearment but relented, telling Achilles the reason she got so little sleep. When she told him the details of some of the Visions at his insistence, he pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head gently. Slowly, her shaking subsided, and Alura realized the way Achilles was kneeling beside her couldn't be too comfortable.

"I'm okay now, you can go back to bed," she said softly.

Achilles shook his head and stood, picking her up in his arms at the same time.

"What are you doing?" she asked in surprise.

"It'll help, I promise," he answered cryptically.

Trusting him as she always had, Alura relaxed into his embrace and stayed silent as he carried her through the doors that led directly from the courtyard into his bedroom. Laying her gently on the bed, he told her to stay where she was. Alura watched as he grabbed a pair of cotton pants from a drawer and disappeared through a door she assumed led to his bathroom. He came back out a few minutes later dressed in the pants and nothing else, his shoulder length loose.

Alura drew in a breath when he lay next to her and pulled her body close to his. But all Achilles did was settle her and himself so that they were both touching but comfortable.

"Sleep," he ordered softly.

With a deep sigh, Alura closed her eyes and shifted slightly so that she could be more comfortably pressed to him. The few times she had tried to go back to sleep after waking from a Vision, she'd only succeeded in having it again. So she was pleasantly shocked to wake up the next morning instead of mere minutes later. Alura lifted her head from Achilles's chest to look at him, only to find him watching her.

He smiled gently, "Sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Alura answered honestly. "I haven't slept that well in a long time."

"I'm glad I could be here for you," he returned.

"How long are you going to be here this time?" she asked quietly.

"Only four days."

Alura nodded her understanding and started to roll away from him when a fluttering in her belly stopped her.

"Oh," she gasped.

"What is it?" Achilles immediately asked, his tone worried.

Alura smiled and grabbed his hand, pressing it onto the swell of her stomach. Again, one of the babies moved, right under Achilles' warm, open palm. Achilles sucked in a breath. His fingers curved to fit her pregnant flesh better, and they both waited with baited breath for the next kick. In the following few minutes, there were three kicks, and then nothing.

"I guess she went to sleep," Alura smiled.

"That was... amazing. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"There have been tiny flutters before, but nothing like that. You're the first person to feel them besides me."

Her face was only a few inches from Achilles' as she smiled radiantly. A soft groan escaped his shapely mouth before he lightly pressed it to hers. Although she was surprised by the kiss, Alura felt herself respond to it. Achilles had opened himself to her more in his home than he had on the Andromeda, probably because Telemachus was no longer hovering disapprovingly in the background. Alura felt that she knew Achilles better now than most of the people she had ever known. Alura had always liked him, and though she hadn't been able to admit it to herself until that moment, she had felt it developing into something more the week he had been home.

When Alura pressed her body the rest of the way to his, Achilles pulled away. There was a wall up in his eyes, and even though he had told her that she could always ask what he was feeling, right then she couldn't. She didn't want anything to spoil the moment they had just shared.

"I'm not going to apologize for kissing you," Achilles told her. "I'm not sorry. But I won't do it again until I'm sure you're ready for me to do so."

Disappointed but understanding that they both needed time, Alura nodded. She sat up and carefully stood.

"I have to go wake the kids up."

"Alura," Achilles called to her when she had reached the door to the courtyard. She turned to look at him, still sitting in the bed they had been sharing. "I think you should sleep here while I'm home. You need your sleep. For you and for the twins. You'll sleep better with me."

She looked away from him but nodded before leaving the room.

The next three nights Alura didn't even bother going to her own bed at night. She knew it wasn't really fair to either of them, but Achilles seemed unwilling to talk about what was growing between them, and Alura found herself unable to mar their time together, with each other and with Britta and Drago, in order to have something she wasn't sure she deserved. He didn't kiss her again, other than on the head as he had before, but each night as she lay in his arms, she had not only her normal nightmares, somehow made easier by the simple fact that he was there, but also dreams of them together. _Those_ weren't as easy to deal with.

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This time when Achilles left, he said good-bye to his mother and Alura in Cassandra's sunroom. When he was gone, Cassandra asked Alura to stay with her until it was time to go pick Britta and Drago up from the Pride school. The two women made idle chitchat for several minutes until Alura had to give in to the question that had been bugging her for several days.

"Cassandra, I have no right to ask this, and you can refuse to answer, but I was wondering…"

Alura trailed off nervously and Cassandra took pity on her.

"You were wondering if I love all three of my husbands?"

Alura nodded, "How did you know I wanted to ask that?"

Cassandra smiled softly. "I've been watching you when you're with Achilles." Alura blushed slightly even though she knew Cassandra wouldn't have seen them at night. "The first time he came back, your affection for him was apparent, but this last time, there's been something more growing in your eyes. And I know you still love Rhade, so I've actually been waiting for you to ask."

"I'm sure you want better for your son…" Alura began, knowing that attaching himself to someone whose first marriage hadn't exactly worked out but hadn't exactly completely ended either would not be the best thing for any Nietzschean man.

"Nonsense," Cassandra cut her off. "What I want is for my son to be happy. Achilles loves you. And I think maybe you love him as well. If that's true, he couldn't do better if he searched the entire universe."

Alura could do no more than nod, but Cassandra seemed to think it was enough.

"I love all three of them because they are my husbands and they've given me my children, but I'm only _in love_ with Ticon and Odin. My first marriage, to Hector, was arranged. We get along well, but he has other wives he cares more for, and I have my other two husbands. You don't need to feel guilty for loving two men, just pray it works out, that they can learn to share your time."

"Thank you," Alura said softly.

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Telemachus waited from his position beside a still bed-rumpled Dylan as Tri-Jema's ship disappeared into the slipstream maze Indra Xicol had become trapped inside. A few seconds later sensors indicated that a large explosion had occurred in slipstream. Telemachus sighed in relief. It was over.

Everything had gone as they had known it would. Indra Xicol had come aboard, and through a ruse setup by he himself barely making it back to the Andromeda in a damaged slipfighter (which he still had to "thank" Harper for), Indra had been coaxed into traveling with he and Dylan to a planet on the other side of a nearly inescapable slipstream maze. Their "hosts" had provided a distraction for Dylan to have time to get to know the spy, which of course ended with her in bed with the Captain, after which she had stolen the "map". It had been a fake, of course. There was no copy of the map to the Route of Ages.

But Indra hadn't known that until it was too late and she was trapped inside the slipstream maze with a slipfighter she had stolen to ditch Dylan and Telemachus and meet back up with Tri-Jema.

And now they had proof there was no way Dylan could have trusted Tri-Jema. And the playing field of the Commonwealth civil war had narrowed a bit. Things were definitely looking up for the majority of the crew of the Andromeda Ascendant. Telemachus banished the thought that his own personal problems were far from solved and turned his attention back to the present.

"Prepare a report for Tri-Lorn so it's ready for the next time Captain Renier visits." He turned toward the figure of Dylan Hunt beside him. "And you, go to Harper and get rid of that image. Tell him I said good job."

Andromeda, her settings changed to make her look exactly like her Captain, nodded. "Permission to have the memory of… last night… erased?"

"Granted," Telemachus responded, trying hard to hide his amusement at her disgust at what she had been forced to do in place of the real Dylan.

"Oh, and Commander? When are we picking up Captain Hunt and Trance?"

"Scheduled pickup is tomorrow at 0800, but I think we can find a reason to be too busy to pick them up from their vacation for a few days, how about you?"

Andromeda, still with Dylan's face, smiled. "Oh, I think I can come up with a few things."

She turned and left command deck, unable to turn herself off. Harper had come up with the concept of disallowing her to turn off for the duration of the mission, knowing if she had unthinkingly blinked off for even a second the game would have ended before they could win. Telemachus had to give credit where credit was due. Harper had more than proven his worth for this mission.

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"There," Harper said after a few minutes of silent work. "All back to normal now. I think I'll just put this back with the other ones Alura gave me. I just haven't felt right about using them since she left, but it's a good thing we had this one, it would have taken me way too long on my own to come up with all the different algorithms necessary for our little switcharoo."

The holographic Andromeda, now herself and translucent again but still on hard light settings, reached forward and took the flexi Alura had given Harper. She studied it for a moment, a frown on her face.

"This is a Commonwealth flexi," she finally said.

Harper shrugged and said defensively, "So she borrowed a flexi to give me the info, there's nothing wrong with that."

"No, Harper," Andromeda corrected. "It's not one of ours."

Harper stilled and stared at her, "But you just said it was Commonwealth."

Andromeda arched a brow at him. "We're not the only ones who have Commonwealth flexis, Harper, and this one has a slightly larger memory capacity than the most recent grade of flexis."

"You mean this one is from Alura's reality, from the future?"

"Some things that Danny would sometimes say make more sense now... " Rommie trailed off from her place a few feet away where she had been silently waiting. "He was a warship, you know."

"I know," Harper responded. "Alura told us a long time ago that the Dance she had was a smaller, second version of the original."

"What if the original Dance was a Commonwealth warship?"

Harper gaped at Rommie's words. "You mean Alura was a member of the Commonwealth military?"

"It makes sense," the holographic Andromeda responded.

"I wonder why she never told Dylan?" Harper mused.

"I don't know," Rommie commented. "But until it becomes relevant, I don't think we should be the ones to tell him."

Both Harper and the holographic version of the Andromeda Ascendant nodded their agreement.

"And Harper, I think you should check the rest of those flexis to see of she left you any important information."

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**Author's Comment:** You didn't really think I'd do that to poor Trance, did you?

**Preview:** Trouble dogs Alura on Tarazed, and she finally discovers the whole truth about what will happen to Arkology and the crew of the Andromeda. A truth she is determined to change. In other words, a very Alura-centric chapter coming up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis.

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"You are asking much of me."

Alura smiled slyly at the craftsman, knowing what he was after, "I was told you were the best, and I believe we have agreed to a very generous price, especially considering that I have already provided the design and materials I want you to use."

"Yes," the human artisan agreed easily. "But you are in such a hurry."

Alura's eyes sparkled with mirth. She had forgotten how fun it could be to tease and haggle in the marketplace. "Considering the bulk of your business, I'm sure you realize that Nietzscheans don't like to wait when it comes to mating."

Instead of pointing out that she wasn't completely Nietzschean, the human endeared himself to her more by smiling coyly in return, amusement in his mind even before he spoke, "Forgive me for saying so, my lady, but you seem not to have waited at all."

Alura laughed lightly at the reminder that she would be a mother in only a few more months. Though she had never done so while at home, she had only recently stopped hiding her condition in public. When she had hit the four and a half month mark a few days ago, Cassandra had taken her out shopping for maternity clothes. The older woman had even been able to talk her into getting clothes outside her color comfort zone of black. She now owned several white and light gray sets of clothing, as well as a nightgown of deepest blue that almost matched her hair, which Alura planned to wear when Achilles returned from his latest mission. At which time she would give him what the artisan in front of her was going to craft.

"These little ones are from my first marriage." Alura patted her belly gently before indicating the larger of the two bands on the tray in front of him, "His band is the larger of the two you need only make the slight modifications to."

The artisan sighed, "I will admit that modifying two bands and making one more will be less work than making a brand new set, but this order is very unusual, and in two days? I will have to put off work on all the other orders I currently have in."

Giving in to the inevitable, Alura moved closer to him and drew another gem from the pouch at her waist. She wasn't crazy about the swirl of green and yellow that made the stone, but it was a rare and valuable find. The artisan's eyes nearly fell out of his head as she handed it to him. He examined it carefully, swearing under his breath in awe at the purity of the stone. When she held her hand out, palm up, he hesitated before placing it back in her hand.

"If you finish them in the time I have requested and every one of the stones is placed where it should be and not replaced with a fake and I am happy with your work, I will give this to you as a bonus, and you will be assured of future business from me and my Pride, small as it may be."

The craftsman nodded eagerly and picked up his notebook to read back her order to her. "On the first male helix band, add rubies between the already present sapphires in one inch intervals around the top edge and inset the large ruby on the prominent side of the band. On the second male band, forged in gold and platinum to match the other two, intersperse diamonds and sapphires in the same pattern around the top edge with a large diamond also on the prominent side of the cuff. On the female band, add a ruby on the left side of the already present starburst pattern of sapphires and a diamond on the right, and add smaller rubies and diamonds along the top edge. Was that right?"

"Yes," Alura answered. "That's it exactly. I'll be back to pick them up in two days." When the craftsman opened his mouth, she added, "With the stone."

Not needing to be back at the Valhalla complex for a few hours since school was still in session until then, Alura wandered around the marketplace, examining booths with everything from food to weapons to baby clothes. She spent the longest at the last; purchasing a few more things to add to the cache she had collected since living on Tarazed. She had more than she thought she needed, in various sizes, but Cassandra had told her, among other things, that infants went through clothes very quickly. Alura had been acting as mother to Drago for nearly a year now, but a baby (not to mention two of them at once) was outside her range of experience. It made her very glad to be living in such close quarters with those who did have the know-how.

Alura was used to curious and even suspicious looks when in the marketplace, Tarazed was still heavily populated by those who had not wanted to rejoin the universe when Dylan Hunt came calling, and unidentifiable aliens were treated as pariahs by some. But intense hatred was not something she was accustomed to. The feeling flowing directly at her was so sudden and intense that she gasped and curved a protective hand over her children.

She glanced around slowly, not wanting whoever it was to have some way of knowing that she could read their emotions. As she concentrated, Alura realized that someone physically close to the person who hated her had noticed her and was curious. Whoever it was felt familiar to her, though they didn't seem to know her. She allowed her eyes to drift slowly around the open market, as if she were simply looking for where to go next. Alura caught sight of Isis and paled. Not at her first in-person sighting of the woman who had given birth to the father of Alura's children, but the sight of the man next to Isis. The man who was eying her with a curiosity and hunger that sickened her.

Revulsion and rage swept through her in equal measure. She knew Isis was elitist and racist to a certain extent, but she never would have thought the Matriarch of Majorem Pride would associate with a slaver like Octavius, the Nietzschean who had been Alura's 'master' for two years before Hank had bought and freed her. Alura's hand moved slowly from her pregnant belly to the force lance strapped to her right thigh.

"Alura, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Alura had been so intent on the unexpected opportunity for revenge that she hadn't noticed Baldur approaching her. She jumped slightly and put a hand over her pounding heart. Telemachus' father took her arm and gently led her into a nearby restaurant, sitting her down at the table closest to the door and ordering her a glass of water.

It wasn't until the waiter had come back with the order and Alura was sure the two other Nietzscheans hadn't decided to follow that she fought to bring herself under control. Now that her own emotions were a bit less volcanic, Alura could feel the vestiges of surprise that still hung over the man who so reminded her of his son. Although he was worriedly watching her face, his gaze dropped to her stomach with obvious regularity. Baldur wasn't stupid. If she gave him even a few minutes to concentrate solely on the math, he would know without any doubt that her children were related to him.

"Baldur, your grandchildren," Alura said, resting her hand briefly on her belly again before gesturing toward him with it. "Children, your grandfather."

She felt a bit silly making an introduction when her babies were still nestled inside her, but Baldur's pleased smile put her uneasiness to rest.

"Children?" Baldur echoed. "As in, more than one child?"

"Twin girls," Alura supplied quietly. "I think we both know it's good that Niether is a boy."

With a sad smile, Baldur acknowledged her words by nodding slowly. "Is that why you had that stricken look when you saw Isis? You didn't want her to know about them?"

"Not exactly."

Alura sighed and shifted uneasily in the chair that wouldn't have been very comfortable in the best of circumstances. She reached forward for the glass of cold water that was now sitting in it's own ring of moisture on the wooden tabletop. She absently traced the trail of a heavy drop of condensation before lifting the glass to her lips and swallowing mechanically. She wasn't very thirsty, at least not that she was aware. Alura was simply trying to buy time while she thought about her options.

Though it was possible that Octavius hadn't gotten into the slave trade until a few years before he bought her in her reality, which would make it still a few years away from now, she somehow doubted it. Considering the fact that slavery was illegal on Tarazed and Isis had definitely been with Octavius in the market, either Isis was in on the secret or she was clueless about who Octavius really was. But which was it, and would Baldur know either way? Would giving Baldur that information put the older Nietzschean's life in danger?

"Do you know why Isis was with Octavius out there?" Alura asked softly, flinching when she used the name of her former captor.

Baldur shrugged loosely, "At breakfast they said something about checking on the stands they visited last week, see what new materials have come in."

"_What_?"

Baldur was startled at her one-word outburst, and he frowned at her for a moment. "I assumed since you knew his name... Octavius is Isis' second husband, the father of her daughters."

"Oh, Divine, I'm going to be sick." Alura rushed toward the back of the diner, almost knocking another woman over in her haste to get to the facilities. She muttered an apology before slamming the door shut behind her.

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Baldur sat back in his chair with a frown. If Alura hadn't known of the family connection to Octavius, how _had_ she known him? From her reaction, it was obvious it wasn't a good association. Baldur had never become close to Octavius, mostly because the other man looked down on him for his inability to have any more children after Telemachus, but he didn't have any idea where the two would know each other. Had they met through business? Octavius had an import-export business that kept him busy and traveling off-world fairly often. Baldur would have to wait until Alura came back to the table to ask her.

A slender but strong hand on his shoulder preceded Jess leaning over to kiss his cheek. She moved around him and sat down with a smile in the chair Alura had vacated, frowning when she noticed the water glass in front of her just as her foot caught on the bag Alura had left on the floor. She bent over and picked up the bag, lifting out a tiny white outfit. Her eyes were sad for a moment before her eyebrows rose in question and she looked at him.

"Picking up pregnant women now, are you, darling?"

Baldur's lips twisted in amusement at her teasing tone. "I think my son would gladly kill me if I ever even thought about hitting on her."

"Alura's here?" Jess' eyes widened as she realized what that meant. "_She's _pregnant?"

"Twin girls," Baldur confirmed. He gestured behind her with a slight smile. "See for yourself."

Jess stood as Alura approached, the younger woman slowing when she saw the redhead. But Jess must have had a welcoming smile on her face, because Alura smiled and allowed Jess to hug her and exclaim over her belly. Jess ushered Alura back into the chair she had previously occupied. She flagged down a passing waiter and demanded an extra chair for their table and three menus.

Jess turned to Alura, "You will stay and eat lunch with us, won't you?"

"Of course," Alura demurred.

The tiny white garment Jess had pulled out of the bag was still on the table. Alura smiled and tucked it back into the bag before turning to Jess, who had just been given a chair.

"Would you like to see what else I got them?"

Jess nodded eagerly in response. Baldur watched in amusement as his wife made soft noises at each new article. He responded when one of the two women required it of him, but mostly he just observed them. Baldur was content to put aside the conversation about Octavius for the time being if that was what Alura wanted. Of course, there was another serious conversation they had to have, namely whether Telemachus knew about the existence of his children or not. Baldur doubted it since Telemachus would have immediately shared the news with his family and his Pride.

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It wasn't until after they had eaten that Alura asked Jess and Baldur to come with her to the Valhalla Pride compound. She wouldn't discuss either of the two topics Baldur was impatient to learn everything about until they were somewhere she felt safe. Understanding the need, they quickly agreed to go with her. As they walked, Baldur couldn't help but wonder why Alura had never asked to stay near or with them. It must have something to do with why she had left Telemachus, but how had she ended up staying with the second most powerful Pride on Tarazed?

The three of them received some curious looks as they entered the compound. Alura seemed to notice, her head lifting higher. She led them to see Cassandra Bluteau first, introducing Baldur and Jess to the woman who had helped her so much since she came to Tarazed. After that, they went to Alura's suite of rooms where Alura extracted oaths of secrecy from them before relating what she really was and where she was from, the truth about her father and her brother, why she had left Telemachus, and her plan for informing him of his paternity once he was settled with the woman he was meant to be with who would be able to provide him with a full-blooded Nietzschean heir.

Not sure what to think of it all, but having no reason not to believe Alura, Baldur asked, "So why was it that you were so upset to see Octavius?"

Alura stood and began to pace. Jess and Baldur watched with matching worried frowns.

Quietly, she answered, "When my father died, one of his advisors sold me to a slaver. The man owned me for two years before Hank, a human, freed me and became my guardian. That slaver was Octavius." Jess gasped and Baldur looked furious, causing Alura to hastily add, "I don't know if he was a slaver at this point in time where I came from or even if he _is_ a slaver in this reality. But seeing him threw me, and to find out he's connected to Telemachus… it was shocking."

"I'll find out," Baldur said softly but firmly.

"We both will," Jess added.

Alura opened her mouth to protest, but noticing the time, she said instead, "I have to pick Drago and Britta up from school. Will you both stay so we can talk about this?"

Baldur and Jess nodded. When Alura had left, Jess turned to her husband.

"What are we going to do? Putting aside Isis' scum of a husband for the moment, Alura needs us, whether she knows it or not. Her Pride is so small, and Drago will need all the support he can get as he grows up. And I really would like to be there for Alura and her children."

Baldur was silent and thoughtful for a long minute before saying, "I think we should talk to Cassandra again after we've finished visiting with Alura. I've used my son as an excuse to stay where we've both been unhappy for too long. Telemachus hasn't lived with the Pride for quite some time, and even if he did, us not being part of Majorem Pride wouldn't stop him from coming to see us when he wanted. It's time to live our own lives."

Jess was surprised but relieved by Baldur's decision. Although she would… and had… put up with anything for the man she loved, Jess had never been truly happy living in close quarters with Isis, who treated her with disdain at best. It would take some getting used to for both of them to no longer be members of Tarazed's most powerful Pride, but she had the feeling they would be much happier with their new family. When they met shy but sweet Britta minutes later and became better acquainted with Drago and the little blonde girl and the two children's doting guardian during the course of the afternoon, she was sure of it.

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"Is that everything?" Dylan asked.

Achilles looked down at his own notes and gave them a cursory once over. "That's all Tri Lorn wanted me to go over with you." He paused for a moment and looked back up at Dylan. "But if you want to tell Trance it's alright to come in, I have another letter for her."

Dylan's mouth quirked and the door to an adjoining room slid open to reveal the red and gold Avatar, who greet Achilles and moved to his side when he stood.

"Captain Hunt, an honor as always," Achilles said, extending a hand that Dylan promptly shook. "The stop I made before meeting up with you went longer than planned, so you'll forgive me if I leave now. Trance, the letter."

He handed her the missive, which she took reverently and clasped tightly in her hand.

"May I walk with you to your ship?" Trance asked.

"Of course."

They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the hangar where Achilles' small but fast and well-armed ship waited. When the door had closed behind them and they were alone in the large space, Trance turned toward Achilles and stopped his movement with a light hand on his arm.

"How is she?"

"She misses all of you, of course, but she's doing well. So is he."

Niether one of them would mention names. Achilles knew Alura had told her mother a lot about her new life in the two letters she had been able to send so far, including the friendships she had forged with _his_ mother and other family members. But there was only so much Achilles could comfortably say given where he was.

Part of him wanted to track down where ever Rhade currently was on the Andromeda and let the other man know what had really happened, to encourage Rhade to go to Alura and then never let her go again. It was what he would want to have happen if the situation were reversed. But although he couldn't understand any self-respecting Nietzschean male choosing someone like Louisa, who Alura had described to him, Achilles respected Alura's decision enough to do as she wished and stay away from Rhade.

"How big is she now?"

In answer to Trance's soft question, Achilles spread and curved his fingers over his uniform in an approximation of the swell of Alura's stomach the last time he had seen it, which had been three weeks ago. The ache around his heart intensified at the thought. He missed her so much. He stared down at his own fingers for a moment. Alura's belly hadn't been anywhere near huge since she still had a few months to go, but it had gotten to the point where it was obvious that she was pregnant. He found himself speaking, quietly asking for indirect approval of his position in Alura's life from her mother.

"I'm going to take time off when she reaches her seventh month so I can be there when she gives birth and while she needs help, but that means I should have at least a couple more meetings with the Andromeda before someone else gets assigned liaison duties."

Trance nodded and smiled softly at him. Though Alura's lips were fuller than her mother's, they both had the same sweetness in their smile. Achilles found himself smiling back without really knowing why.

"You love her very much, don't you?"

The smile faded from Achilles' lips, seriousness radiating from his entire being. "I have from the moment I first saw her."

Trance glanced away and a silent moment passed. "Perhaps when you rendezvous with us for what you know is the last time, you can take me back to Tarazed with you. I'd like to be there for her when they're born."

"I'm sure she'd like that."

Achilles and Trance said their good-byes, and Trance watched through the airlock as Achilles left the Andromeda. She frowned momentarily when she got a strong feeling that he would not be back to the Andromeda in his capacity as Tri Lorn's liaison.

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Two days after her run in with Baldur, Alura was back in the marketplace, musing on the last two days as she and Drago walked to where the artisan whose work she was going to pick up was situated. Britta was back at the compound, spending some quality time with her grandmother.

Baldur and Jess had shocked Alura with their choices. They had severed ties with Majorem Pride; reverting to membership in the small Pride Baldur had been born into. She and the children were the couple's family now. They had even moved into the Valhalla Pride compound, renting the rooms across the courtyard from Alura's so they could be close by if she needed them for anything. The group got along famously, Alura feeling immediately close to Baldur because of how much he reminded her of his son, and Jess filling the role of older sister or aunt with ease.

She'd felt it necessary to tell them her plans in regards to Achilles, and though Niether of them had met him yet, they let her know that they understood the role he filled in her life. Alura had at first been a bit surprised by their easy acceptance, before reminding herself that they were first and foremost Nietzscheans, and Baldur himself had had two wives until his very recent split with Isis.

Drago tugged on Alura's hand when she unwittingly slowed down, causing her mind to snap back to the present. Alura could tell the second the artisan spotted her, feeling his excitement from twenty feet away. She smiled as she approached the table he had already laid out her order on. He was eager for her to inspect his work and give him the promised reward.

The rest of their transaction went smoothly, Alura well pleased with the quality of his work. Because of the promised reward and its value, he had even presented her with a beautiful metal locking box to keep the bands in. She slipped the box with the bands nestled inside into the bag she had fastened securely against her back, the strap going over one shoulder and diagonally down her front to what had once been her waist.

Drago and Alura took their leave of the man after she had given him the jewel and promised to return to him for any future needs. Alura had just glanced down to readjust the way the strap of her pack lay across her stomach when someone struck her in the side of her face, hard. Alura immediately sent one hand to her pregnant belly while the other flew to the right, seeking Drago's presence. He wasn't there. Alura frantically turned all her attention in the direction she knew he had just been.

"_No_!" Alura screamed as she caught sight of a man she had never seen before dragging Drago away from her.

They were already twenty feet from her, and the man was pulling Drago quickly through the sparse market crowd. Not caring at the moment what had happened to the man who had hit her, Alura swiftly pulled one of the knives Achilles had given her from its sheath. Through years of training and the adrenaline pumping through her system at an alarming rate, Alura was able to aim and send the knife flying almost instantaneously.

Right at that moment, Drago bit down on the hand that was dragging him, causing the man to turn slightly. Instead of lodging where the base of his skull met his spine, Alura's knife plunged into his neck. Blood seeped slowly from the wound and flooded into his mouth from his throat. When he tried to scream, it came out as a sickeningly wet gurgle. Both hands went to the knife handle automatically, though he knew he was going to die as soon as it was pulled out. Drago immediately ran back toward Alura, who was already moving toward him and his would-be kidnapper.

Drago clung to Alura's leg when they met, stopping her movement completely. She crouched to check on him, running her hands over him worriedly before pulling him into a hug.

"I'm okay, Momma," he breathed into her ear, his arms around her neck. "He didn't hurt me."

His assurance and the fact that he was already calming helped Alura gain control of her own fear and panic. When she looked, the man whose neck now held her knife was nowhere to be seen. And Alura had never gotten a look at his accomplice.

A member of the police force was there moments later; evidently someone in the market had called when she screamed. Alura told what she could and let the officer scan the second knife so if the first was found it could be matched easily. He had at first wanted to take the knife with him so they could match the blade to any wounds found on a body, but Alura used Baldur and Cassandra's names and her connection to them to ensure that she was given the leeway to keep the weapon. Since she had not seen the second man, the one who had attacked her, they would have to wait for the first man to be found before they could identify him and try to trace his accomplice.

Though the officer escorted them home, Alura couldn't help but feel skittish, checking every shadow for movement with her eyes and scanning every person they passed for malicious intent. It was only after they were home and safe among those who had become their family that she was able to relax. The darker part of her, a part that had once ruled her life for a year and a half, was furious that revenge would not be hers, not only against the man who had tried to distract her while the other took her son, but also against Octavius. But weighing what she now stood to lose against what her existence had been then, she let it go.

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Drago and Britta tackled Achilles the moment he walked in the door of their suite, knocking the adult male to the floor where they could hug him. Alura watched with a smile, knowing how much Britta and Drago had missed Achilles. He had been gone nearly a month, and she imagined that it seemed like a much longer time to someone who had only been around for a grand total of six years. Alura had missed him just as much as they had, if not much more so, but she would wait her turn to welcome him home.

When the two children had finished with their greetings, Drago glanced between his mother and Achilles. A sly smile slid across his face and he tugged Britta toward the door to the courtyard.

"C'mon, Britta, let's go help Grandpa and Jess unpack some more."

The two children, and Alura as well, had been helping Baldur and Jess whenever they had free time and the older couple was at home. Alura smiled and waved as the kids headed out.

"What's he talking about?" Achilles asked as he stood up, dusting himself off.

"Baldur Rhade and his wife Jess left Majorem Pride, they're staying in the suite across from mine…"

"Alura!" Achilles interrupted her. He was at her side swiftly, one hand going to her face to lightly trace the bruise beside her left eye. There was fury in his voice as he asked, "Who did this to you?"

"I'm fine," she assured him quickly. "It's already healing. Yesterday there was a kidnap attempt when Drago and I were in the market, but I stopped the man with one of the knives you gave me. There is no way he could have survived the wound."

Achilles swore colorfully, "I should have been here."

Alura frowned but allowed Achilles to pull her into a hug. She relaxed against his solid strength for a few minutes before whispering.

"It wouldn't have made a difference."

"You think I can't protect you and your children?" Achilles growled, setting her away from him abruptly.

Alura sighed; this was not going well. "Of course I think you can, I know you can. But you can't be there every moment, and I wouldn't have let you come with us to the market."

"Why not?" he almost yelled.

Alura put a soothing hand on his arm, his muscles tense beneath her fingers. "I was getting something for you."

He let out a breath slowly and gathered her close to him once more. "I'm sorry I over-reacted. But I love you, and I don't like feeling that I let you down."

"You haven't," Alura said with a smile.

She didn't return his feelings aloud, not wanting the first time she said them to be directly after an argument. After a handful of silent minutes, Achilles leaned his head down to kiss the top of her head before gently extracted himself from her arms.

"I have something to take care of, but I'll be home by dinnertime."

"Okay," Alura replied as she watched him leave.

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Achilles went straight to his own rooms and changed before going to Alura's suite to pick her and the kids up for dinner with the rest of the family. He knew Alura would have waited for him, despite the fact that he was running a little late. To his surprise, when he stepped into the front room the main lights weren't on. The soft glow of candles filled the room and the small table in the corner was set for two.

"Expecting someone?" he asked carefully when Alura walked in, clothed in a dress of flowing gray material.

He'd never seen her in anything but black before.

Alura smiled and simply answered, "I thought you and I could eat dinner together alone for once."

He must have frowned, because she faltered and hastily added, "If you'd rather eat with your family…"

"No," Achilles answered. "This is nice. Relaxing. Thanks."

She smiled again, this time it almost seemed to shine, and Achilles barely stopped himself from frowning again. Something was going on here, and he wasn't sure why he was suddenly so nervous. Dinner passed slowly but pleasantly. It had always been easy for them to talk about anything and everything. When the conversation came to a comfortable lull as they finished eating, Alura suddenly stood and turned on some soft music.

Moving next to him, she held out her hand. "Dance with me?"

Achilles stood and gathered her into his arms, guiding her gently around the open space of the room. Alura smiled up at him, warmth and light seeming to emanate directly from her eyes. It wasn't surprising. Even before her Avatar abilities had come back, he could always see the light in her. But somehow it was different this time. And then suspicion struck. It was different because it was aimed solely at him. Always before there had been at least a small part of herself that she kept from him, but no longer.

They were alone. Family dinner had to have been over by now and yet Britta and Drago weren't back. Alura had dressed more femininely than usual. Romantic was the only real way to describe the lighting and music. And she was pressed about as fully to him as possible. Achilles glanced around the room and spotted a craftsman's box on one of the side tables. He recognized the workmanship immediately; all of the Valhalla Pride women went to the same artisan to have their helix bands made.

Achilles' heart began to pound at the same time that his stomach dropped away.

He turned his face back down toward hers, needing to stop this before it went any further. Unfortunately, Alura chose that moment to lean up and press her lips to his. His mind told him to pull away, to stop now, but his heart and his body wrapped his arms more securely around her and responded by deepening their kiss. Somehow this embrace was a thousand times more intimate than the one they had shared in his bed the last time he had been home. Heat spiraled through him, his heart clenching when Alura moaned softly. To his everlasting shame, she was the one to pull her mouth away from his.

"Achilles, I…"

He put one finger over her lips to silence her, begging softly, "Please don't do this."

"Achilles, I don't think you understand, I'm trying to tell you that I l…"

"I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear it!"

Alura flinched, and Achilles knew his harsh tone had gotten through to her. He also knew he was going to regret this for a long time. But he couldn't let her do something now that they would _both_ regret later. Him ever so much more so when she left him. Unable to stay in the same room with her when she had that devastated look on her face, Achilles turned on his heel and left.

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Alura picked at her breakfast. She wasn't hungry. Hadn't been for days. But she ate to keep up her strength and to give the twins enough nourishment. The past week had been tense between she and Achilles. He still spent time with her and the children, though his attention was always focused on them now. And he _never_ spent time alone with her anymore.

She'd had a particularly bad nightmare Vision two nights after he had returned, but when she tried to go to him for comfort, she had found his door to be locked. Alura hadn't had the heart to knock and have him reject her aloud once more. But the worst thing had been yesterday when she had absentmindedly asked Cassandra when she thought Achilles would be leaving again.

"Didn't he tell you?" Cassandra had frowned. "Achilles quit the day he came back. He'd already planned on taking time off two months from now, but after he heard about the attack, he didn't have the heart to leave you again. When Tri Lorn wouldn't give him an extended leave of absence, he quit."

Achilles hadn't told her. And Alura knew from the way he had reacted to her attempt at a proposal that it wasn't out of love. So he had to have given up his career and livelihood out of some odd sense of duty and responsibility to her. The knowledge hurt. She didn't know when he had stopped loving her. Perhaps Achilles had simply loved the idea of her, falling out of it when he realized that he could actually have her.

She had considered, for a few moments, leaving Tarazed so Achilles could get back to his life and she could move on with hers. But there were so many other people to consider now.

This remained the best place to be when the twins were born. Baldur and Jess had already transplanted themselves once to be near her. She was very close to Cassandra, Ariadne and Terren (Ariadne's full-brother), and getting closer to Odin and Ticon. And there was Britta to consider. Alura couldn't take the little girl with them if they left, as much as she might want to. As soon as she had considered how Britta, and Drago for that matter, would react to separation, she had let the idea go. She would just have to get used to seeing him all the time and not be able to be with him the way she wanted.

The two children chorusing "Kill! Ariadne!", snapped her out of her thoughts.

After he had greeted the children, giving each a hug, Achilles said, "Ariadne is going to walk the two of you to school this morning. I need to talk to your mother."

It hadn't been the first time someone had lumped Britta in as hers, and as usual, the little girl smiled happily and didn't correct the wording. The children and Ariadne were out the door a few minutes later. This was the first time she and Achilles had been alone since 'that night' but Alura refused to get her hopes up.

"I'm leaving on a mission," Achilles told her, not meeting her eyes.

"Your mother told me you quit," she responded quietly. "I'm glad Tri Lorn let you have your job back."

Achilles looked at her and frowned. "I didn't ask for it back, Alura, and I'm not going to. My place is…" Achilles sighed and took a different tact. "This is a personal favor to him, one last mission that he needs me to do. I don't even have to be in uniform for it."

"Oh."

Alura wasn't sure what else to say. She hated that things had become so awkward between them because she had wanted more from him than he was willing to give.

Achilles cleared his throat. "If something happens to me, my family will look out for you. And I've already asked Baldur and Jess to help in any way they can after the twins are born and you decide its time to leave. You'll be fine, so I don't want you to worry. Goodbye, Alura."

So deep in shock she couldn't say anything, Alura was unable to react when he stooped to kiss her forehead and then left.

Two days later when she had a Vision that made her heart stop for long moments, she cursed the fact that she hadn't done something, anything, to stop him from going.

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"Still don't believe in Fate?" Telemachus asked Beka.

They were sitting in the mess, eating dinner, and Beka was staring again at the small silver bell Wezlow had left for her in her angel doll. The tiny instrument that was somehow a powerful weapon against the Abyss wasn't all that much to look at, but the Eureka Maru's Captain kept studying it as if it held the secrets to the universe. Who knew, maybe it did.

"Fate?" Beka made a doubting face. "Just because I've been the unknowing carrier of a weapon against the Abyss for most of my life and I was the one who pulled Dylan from the black hole. Dylan, who happens to be a person the Abyss actually seems to fear?" Beka laughed, the sound lacking any humor. "Whatever would make you think that?"

Telemachus raised his eyebrows but simply shrugged. "You were also the one that brought Trance into his life, and however indirectly, the reason I met…"

Beka frowned at him as he trailed off. "The reason you met who?"

"All of you," Telemachus said curtly as he stood. His tone and body language told Beka that it wasn't what he had been about to say. "If you hadn't pulled Dylan out of the black hole, Tarazed never would have joined Dylan's Commonwealth and I'd still be Admiral of the Home Guard."

"Sorry," she said softly, meaning it more for his loss of Alura than his loss of position on his home planet.

Telemachus sighed, and he shrugged his heavily muscled shoulders. He had taken to wearing sleeveless shirts and vests again, not that the female population… and some of the male population… was complaining about the view. Still, they looked and didn't touch, the ones not loyal to the memory of Alura unwilling to risk the Nietzschean's gruff disdain, or the disapproval of their Captain. For though Dylan was frustrated at Telemachus' reverting back to his old self, he was still protective of the younger man. And any woman coming on to the Nietzschean while he was vulnerable was not something Dylan was going to tolerate.

"I wasn't complaining," Telemachus clarified. "Just pointing out a fact."

It was as close to an apology as Beka had ever heard from him, and she stared in a combination of surprise and curiosity as he walked out of the room.

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"I need to speak with you, alone, right now," Alura panted out, throwing an apologetic but hurrying look to the woman sitting with Cassandra and Odin.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Cassandra asked as soon as their guest excused herself from the room.

"I need you to watch Drago and Britta, just for a couple days. I… I had a Vision, and I have to go… go save Achilles."

Odin was immediately on his feet. "I'm going with you."

Alura shook her head, but Cassandra stood and hugged her before saying, "As much as we trust you to do what you can for Achilles, you need someone to help you, my dear, to make sure nothing happens to _you_. You can't risk your children."

Knowing she had to concede, Alura nodded. "Okay, but we have to go _now_."

"Maybe I should get a weapon or…"

Alura cut off Odin, "No, I have plenty on my ship, the Dance. Time is not our friend right now."

Twenty minutes later they were under way. Alura and Odin were both armed, even though there was nothing to fight yet. It was the first time Odin had seen the Dance Among the Stars, but he was too preoccupied to be fully appreciative of the ship. He and Alura were on command, Alura focused completely on the view screen as they raced full speed toward the coordinates she had given Danny, her ship's AI.

Odin's mind was whirling, wondering how Alura could possibly know exactly where to head and that Achilles needed them. He had heard Cassandra and Ariadne talking about Alura's visions before, but he had somehow assumed that they were just particularly intense nightmares. He had been so caught up in the urgency Alura had been projecting and the thought of Achilles in serious danger that he had found himself following her lead without fully realizing it.

"It's because of what my mother is," Alura suddenly said.

Knowing he hadn't said anything aloud, Odin opened his mouth to ask how she did that. He didn't get the chance.

"I can't usually read minds, only feelings, but I'm so… worried right now, and you're projecting awfully loud."

Odin was silent as Alura spoke, telling him about the Avatar race and some of their abilities. He didn't ask questions or interrupt her in any way, knowing she was keeping up the steady monologue in an effort to distract both of them from their worry. Two hours later, Danny interrupted.

"Commodore, we've reached the debris field."

Odin tensed, but again Alura perceived his thoughts. "Achilles was on their ship before they blew up his. It was supposedly a simple sale of information the Triumvir wanted, but it was really a trap for Achilles. Danny, separate the readings of their exhaust trail from his and set a course to follow."

"Aye, Commodore."

"Commodore?"

Odin was trying to distract her again. It worked.

Alura smiled slightly, "My full title is Rear Admiral of the First Line. I was offered a full Admiralcy for certain victories, but I was already the youngest Commodore in Commonwealth history, so I turned it down."

As Alura continued to talk about her military background, Odin couldn't help but wonder where she was from. He noticed she was careful never to mention the names of her superiors or specific place names either. They were both distracted again when an alarm sounded and Danny reappeared.

"Commodore, we've found their base. Very small place, only six life signs inside, but there is a ship on an intercept course. They're hailing us for identification."

"Destroy it," Alura ordered.

"With pleasure."

Though the ship headed their way was a Nietzschean fighter, it was no match for the grade of torpedoes Danny fired upon it. It was space debris within minutes.

Shortly after, the Dance landed on a small planet, just outside a small, solitary structure. Although he had warned himself to stop being surprised every time Alura did something, Odin couldn't help but be amazed when Danny exited the ship with them, as armed to the teeth as they were. The first two guards were easy to take out. The ship they had destroyed had obviously not had a chance to warn the base of the incoming danger. Not five minutes later another two Nietzscheans were down.

"That just leaves Achilles and one more," Alura said.

Danny had been leading the way through the structure, having determined Achilles' position when they landed.

"He's in here," Danny said as they approached a door.

They went through, Alura having to bite her lip to keep from gasping at Achilles' condition, though she had known from her Vision how close to death he would be when they found him. He was hanging from the ceiling, restraints attached to chains on his wrists. His captors had stripped him down to his pants, his arms, face and torso having been beaten, cut and burned. He was unconscious and not alone.

The man torturing him didn't seem to care that Achilles wasn't at all aware of what was being done to him.

"Because of you that stupid kludge Pish wiped out half of my men and two of my best ships. And the man who was supposed to pay our bounty wouldn't give us any more work when we didn't bring him Rhade." The accusations were punctuated with a vicious punch to Achilles' already bruised and bloody torso.

Sudden heat emanated from Alura. Odin growled and the man spun at the sound. His eyes widened when he saw that they were obviously not his people.

"Dequenne," Alura snarled.

"You!" the Nietzschean said, startled.

"Miss me?" she taunted before shooting him with her force lance.

He was dead before he could answer. Alura adjusted a setting on her force lance and shot Dequenne's body. It disintegrated, a scorch mark on the floor the only evidence of the execution. Odin just stopped himself from spitting on the spot. Achilles had told him about the man. It was no great loss to the universe.

"Hold him up while I undo the restraints," Alura said in a tight voice.

Odin did as she asked, easing his son to the floor when he was freed. He closed his eyes when he realized the full extent of Achilles' injuries and took note of his pale, cold skin. His son was too far gone; they were too late.

"No we aren't," Alura said sharply. "We don't have time for me to explain right now, but a blinding light is going to fill the room, so I'll need you to look the other way. When the light dissipates, both Achilles and I will be unconscious. It's a ritual of sorts that my mother's race can perform, but afterward he and I will need to be kept separated. Danny can carry me back to the ship, will you be able to carry Achilles?"

Odin nodded and turned away when Alura motioned for him to do so. Alura turned back to Achilles' unconscious form and smoothed his hair back, wiping a spot of blood from his lips. She draped herself carefully atop him so that when she fainted she wouldn't abruptly fall. She pressed a soft kiss to Achilles' unresponsive lips before letting the Light inside her begin to extend, to engulf him and heal his wounds, to replenish the life force that was slipping away.

Holding back as much of the Bond as she could while still using enough of the connection to save his life, Alura sighed softly, "Forgive me, Achilles, my love."

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Achilles woke to find himself in a room he didn't recognize, though it was vaguely familiar. His father was sitting in a chair watching him, a tired but relieved expression on his face.

"Where's Alura?" Achilles immediately asked, feeling an overwhelming urge to make sure she was okay.

He didn't know how he knew, but Alura had been the one to save him. He had been on the brink of death and she had brought him back. Achilles needed to make sure she was okay, that it hadn't done anything to her. He didn't know how they had found him, but he was glad they had. They must be on the Dance. His supposition was confirmed when his father spoke.

Odin hesitated but answered, "Down the hall in her bedroom sleeping. Danny said she'll be fine in a little while. Son, I know you love her, but she did say you had to be kept apart from each other. I don't understand everything about what she is and what she did, but maybe we should just stay in here until we get back to Tarazed."

"No," Achilles immediately answered, getting up from the bed. "I have to see her."

Odin nodded his understanding.

A few minutes later he was stepping inside the room he had once been in with her when the Dance had still been on the Andromeda. Alura was asleep on top of the bed covers, her weapons holster still on. It was an incongruous sight with the swell of her belly but such a statement of who she was, causing Achilles' mouth to quirk in a loving grin.

He reached down to gently shake her awake, just to make sure she was okay. Just as he was about to touch her, she shot across the bed, away from him. Alura blinked her eyes sleepily before focusing on him. The color leeched from her face.

"Don't. Touch. Me."

Achilles frowned as much at the way she growled the words as at the actual words themselves. Alura had backed herself into a corner, as far away from him as she could possibly get while in the same room. When he took a step toward her, she fumbled for one of the force lances strapped to her thighs and pointed it at him, tears in her eyes.

"Don't."

"What's going on?" he asked, keeping his voice low and soft despite his frustration.

Danny flickered to life beside him and said, "Captain Renier, it would be best if you just…"

"No," Achilles cut him off, "I want to hear it from her." To Alura he said, "I can feel your anxiety, your worry, but I can also feel your love for me. Why won't you let me near you?"

Alura's arm, the one holding the weapon, shook as it fell limply to her side. Her mouth opened and shut a few times before she found her voice.

"How? How is this possible?"

"How is what possible, baby? I don't understand what's going on."

"I… I Bonded with you. I had to in order to save you. But it shouldn't have been a full Bond; you wouldn't have chosen that. _You_ shouldn't be able to feel _me_."

Danny made a soft sound of acknowledgment and disappeared. Achilles was still confused. He took another step toward her, but Alura raised her weapon again, her arm still shaking violently.

"Stay back," she pleaded softly. "If you're near me, the Bond will try to complete itself. You have to stay away."

"This Bond," he asked softly, "you don't want it?"

"Of course I want it!" she snapped. "I wouldn't have been able to initialize it if I didn't. That's not what's important. _You_ don't want it; you didn't even want to know that I love you. Why would you want to be tied to _me_ forever?"

"Oh, baby," Achilles murmured as he realized what was going on. Her hurt made it impossible for him to doubt her words. He had never wanted to give Alura any measure of pain, let alone this soul-deep one she was now feeling. "I'm so sorry."

He moved forward more purposefully this time, and even though she at first pointed her lance directly at him, she slumped slightly in defeat when he simply kept moving toward her. When he reached her, Achilles scooped her tired form into his arms, moving them both to the bed she had been on when he first entered the room. He made soothing noises as he held her, willing her to relax. When she had, at least a little, he returned to their conversation.

"I love you, Alura, you know that. Of course I want to be with you forever."

"Then… why…"

Achilles could feel her pain spiking again, and he knew she was remembering the night he had rejected her advances. He swallowed hard, sick that he had done this to her with his selfishness. One arm remained looped around her waist, pressing her pregnant belly into his side, and the other traveled caressingly over her back. He curled himself around her slightly so that they were touching as much as possible and his face was pressed into the hair on top of her head.

"I didn't want to lose you," he admitted quietly.

Alura looked up from the safe harbor of his arms and into his face and frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. My loving you back should have cemented the fact that you wouldn't lose me, not the opposite."

Achilles sighed, "But you love Telemachus, and you left him. And one day you'll go back to him, and that means leaving me. You were the one who told me you would probably never have more than one mate. As much as being apart from you already hurt, having you as my wife and then losing you… I didn't know if I could deal with that."

Alura shuddered and leaned up slightly to kiss the underside of his chin. Achilles' eyebrows drew together in a slight frown when he looked down at her.

"Forget all that for a minute," she instructed gently. "Do you really love me? Enough to want to be tied to me soul, mind and body for all eternity? And I mean that in the most literal and metaphysical sense of the words."

"Yes," Achilles answered.

Alura could feel that he was being truthful, and that he understood what the Bond entailed. All of her pain, doubt and uneasiness fell away, and Alura basked in the knowledge that she loved and was loved on a level she had never expected.

The connection she had tried to hinder when she initiated the Bond sprung to life between them, and the full depth of his love and happiness at being hers once again surprised her. A second later his amusement at her surprise swept through her. Alura gasped softly.

This wasn't just the Bonding possible between an Avatar and any other race, this was a full Soul Bond. It shouldn't have been possible, and not only because Achilles was a Nietzschean, but because she herself was only half-Avatar. But it _was _one, all the same, the constant emotional feedback proved it.

"I'm going to have to get used to you being able to feel everything I feel," Alura commented, gently nuzzling his ear with her nose. "I can be quite mercurial at times, and I don't want it to hurt you."

Arousal swept through them both as a result of her caresses, and Achilles tightened his hold on her once more. But Achilles was still curious about her hesitation.

"Alura, baby, why didn't you allow the full Bond when you saved me? I know I gave you reason to doubt my feelings, but you couldn't have been doubting your own."

"Once the Bond is completed," she said softly, "it cannot be undone. As soon as we consummate the Bond, you and I will be connected permanently, and being apart for any significant amount of time will be exceedingly difficult on both of us. I didn't want to have to put you through that. Once the Bond is initiated, the urge to complete it is hard to overcome, that's why I didn't want you near me. It had to be your choice."

"What about Rhade?" Achilles asked quietly after a silent minute.

"I never Bonded with him, but I will always love him; I know you know that. If, when the time comes, he accepts me back into his life, he'll have to accept you as well."

"_Could_ you Bond with him?"

Laughter shone in Alura's eyes and thrummed through their connection. She was smiling with mirth when she answered, "He'd have to Bond with both of us."

Achilles laughed. "I can't wait to see his face when he finds out."

Not feeling any hesitation from him, Alura asked, "That wouldn't bother you?"

Achilles brushed her hair back gently and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Having you is everything to me. I want you to have everything you want and need as well."

When Alura gave him a wicked but sweet smile and not-so-innocent thoughts transferred from her mind to his, Achilles proceeded to give her everything she wanted and needed in that moment, guaranteeing that their Bond was a permanent one.

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"You wanted something, Trance?"

Trance looked up at the Andromeda's holograph before smiling slightly. "Yes, just a moment, please."

The Avatar was sitting on the floor next to the plants on obs, sketching something on a piece of paper.

"I've been having recurring Visions with Alura in a uniform, but I can't tell if they're from the past or the future," Trance narrated. "I'd like to see if you could identify the style."

Andromeda studied the sketch for a moment when Trance lifted it, feeling a flicker of recognition. She searched her data banks and, raising a single eyebrow, told Trance what she had found. The red and gold Avatar raised her own eyebrows and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

Trance was silent for a full minute before she said, "Don't tell Dylan."

This caused the Andromeda's holographic self to raise both of her eyebrows in surprise, but she nodded before disappearing, "I promise."

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Andromeda looked anxious when she appeared in his quarters, and Telemachus frowned in worry.

"Are we under attack? Why hasn't the alarm been sounded?"

"No, we are not under attack," the holographic Andromeda replied. "I am unsure how it is possible, but I have more information about Alura."

Telemachus blinked, waiting for the holograph to continue. Since she had realized he remembered Alura and promised not to say anything to the others, she had been giving him little bits of information that _she_ remembered. But it was just as difficult for her to recall anything as it was for him since most of the surveillance from Alura's time onboard had been wiped from her memory banks.

"Trance was drawing a picture and asked me to identify the style of uniform in it." A vid of the sketch appeared on the wall display in his room, and Telemachus noted that it looked almost exactly like Danny's from the time he had been aboard the Dance when he had come back from rescuing Drago with Alura. "When I did so, she instructed me not to inform Dylan as she was unsure whether Alura had worn it prior to meeting us or if she had yet to do so."

Andromeda still looked anxious, and Telemachus asked, "Why are you concerned?"

"It just doesn't make sense. Even if Alura had worn it in her own reality, this style of uniform hasn't been in use for three hundred years, and it is unlikely to be used in the coming decades."

"Why?"

"It is the uniform of the Imperial Guard division of the original Systems Commonwealth, the uniform worn by the hand-picked forces of the Vedran Empress."

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**Preview:** Alura goes home after another Vision, determined to convince those she once served that she is who she is. Also, the Andromeda meets up with Ambassador Galdamez and Louisa Messereau of the habitat Arkology while Alura races to change things enough that Arkology won't be destroyed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis.

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Alura was awakened a few hours later by one of the twins putting pressure on her bladder. Achilles was still sleeping, one arm draped possessively over her, holding her close to him. She tried to roll slowly away from him, but couldn't escape his grasp.

"Kill," she whispered, gently prodding his thick bicep.

A wordless murmur was her only answer before his light blues eyes fluttered open to immediately focus on her. A slow, warm smile spread across his lips, and Achilles buried his mouth in the curve of her neck to give her a tickling kiss. She laughed and tried, once more unsuccessfully, to escape from his arms.

"Kiss me good morning and you can go take care of business," Achilles told her with a crooked smile.

"I can do that," Alura replied softly.

She teased him by first lightly skimming his lips with hers. When he growled in frustration, she smiled and pressed her lips to his fully. The kiss deepened quickly, but Alura pulled back after a few moments.

Through their connection, Achilles knew she didn't mean anything by it. "Go ahead."

When Alura came back, Achilles was already out of bed and dressed. She sent him a questioning look when he smiled.

"Danny popped in while you were in the bathroom," he told her. "We're about half an hour out from Tarazed."

"You should go tell Odin while I get dressed," Alura responded.

Achilles moved closer and pulled her into his arms.

"In a minute," he murmured.

Feeling the wave of love and intent coming from her Bond mate, Alura lifted her chin so that their mouths met in a passionate kiss. Achilles' arms were wrapped firmly around her, holding her up, and her hands crept up to cling to his broad shoulders. When they were both breathless and pleasantly heated, Achilles pulled slightly away from Alura. One large hand went down her body in a soothing caress to rest lightly on her belly.

"We didn't hurt them last night, did we?"

Alura was quick to reassure him, "No, we're… _safe_ for another couple weeks."

"Good. Now get dressed before I take advantage of you again."

Alura laughed and blew him a kiss when he left the bedroom to go find his father.

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Achilles found Odin on command deck. His father was instructing Danny to land the Dance in the Valhalla Pride compound's shipyard, assuring the AI that there was plenty of room and that top-notch security guarded the area. Danny glanced his way and Achilles nodded. If Alura wanted to later move the Dance, she could, but he knew she would be just as anxious as he was to let everyone know they were safe as quickly as possible.

"I sent a message to your mother letting her know we're on our way," Odin told Achilles when he saw him.

"I'm sure she was very relieved," Achilles responded.

Odin nodded, studying his second son.

"Something's different about you," the older man said.

Achilles smiled, clapping a hand on his father's arm, "I'm a married man, Dad."

Odin returned Achilles' happy smile and said, "Congratulations, son. She's an amazing woman."

_You have no idea_, Achilles thought as Danny appeared to tell them they'd be landing in a few minutes.

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Cassandra and Ariadne met them in the shipyard, Ariadne hugging her brother as soon as he stepped off the Dance. Cassandra embraced Odin, Achilles and Alura individually. The older woman wiped tears from her face as she visually inspected all three of them for wounds and found none.

"What happened?" Cassandra asked. "Was your Vision wrong?"

"No, it wasn't," Alura answered, unsure how much more she should tell Achilles' mother.

Odin took the decision out of her hands. "Our son almost died, but Alura saved him. And they're married now."

Ariadne squealed excitedly and hugged Alura, saying, "I always wanted you for a sister."

Alura and Achilles thanked Ariadne and Cassandra for their well wishes, pride and happiness from his family's reaction flowing from Achilles to Alura.

"Where are Drago and Britta?" Achilles asked.

"They're at school," Cassandra answered. "I didn't want to worry them, so we just told them that Alura was going to pick you up after you had engine trouble."

"That was probably best, thank you," Alura said as they moved as a group toward their family's section of the Pride compound.

After promising to make an appearance at family dinner to officially announce their marriage, Achilles and Alura went to her suite. Jess was waiting in the living room, an anxious expression on her face.

Achilles held Alura back for a moment to tell her, "I need to go report to Tri Lorn what happened. I'll keep you out of it, but I need to tell him something. I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Alright," Alura nodded, lifting her face for a parting kiss before turning her attention to the waiting redhead.

Jess had evidently come home early from work and immediately come to see Alura. She was still dressed in her uniform, the one worn by the Police Force of Tarazed.

"We caught the second man from the kidnapping attempt a few hours ago," Jess told her quickly. "My partner and I were able to take him to a safe house by saying we were trying to get him to tell us about his employers in exchange for a lighter sentence."

"Has he said anything?" Alura asked.

"No," Jess shook her head. "But I thought you might like to do the actual interrogation."

Alura's eyes widened. "Won't that get you into trouble?"

"My partner understands the situation, and he wouldn't report it. My superiors aren't likely to listen to any accusations the prisoner makes, and if they do…" Jess shrugged. "I've been thinking of retiring."

Alura was silent for a minute before saying, "If you're sure, I guess we should do this right now."

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Alura knew something was wrong as soon as she and Jess approached the safe house. She could only make out one mind in the building, and it was weak, probably unconscious.

Jess noticed the look on Alura's face and asked, "What is it?"

"Something happened," was all Alura could safely say.

Almost as one the two women picked up the pace of their movement, almost running inside the small, nondescript structure.

"Nick!" Jess gasped as she went down to her knees to check on her unconscious partner.

"Is he okay?" Alura asked, feeling guilty for her part in putting the man in danger, no matter how indirect.

"He seems fine," Jess said, relief in her voice and mind. "He might have a concussion from the blow to the head, but his pulse and breathing are normal."

Alura nodded. "Where was the kidnapper being held?"

"This way," Jess said, standing and leading the way into a back room.

A man Alura didn't recognize lay on the floor on his back, sightless eyes staring up at the ceiling. The amount of blood pooled around him left no doubt that he was no longer among the living. But it was the cuts on his neck that made Alura's own blood run cold. Two horizontal slashes, each more than deep enough to kill, intersected to form a grisly 'X' on his throat. She had seen bodies with that particular 'calling card' before. She knew now who was behind the kidnapping attempt. What she didn't know was why.

Jess looked at her and frowned. "Are you alright?"

Alura smiled without warmth. "I'm fine. I should leave, it would be better for you if I wasn't here when you report this."

Jess nodded.

"If I'm not back before you," Alura added as she left the room, "tell Achilles I'll be home soon and not to worry."

She was gone before Jess could ask where she was going.

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Achilles was waiting for Alura when she came back home two hours later. She could see Britta and Drago playing in the courtyard through the glass doors that led outside. They had obviously not been told the full scope of what had happened to Achilles, and Alura could only be glad. Both children had more than their share of the harsh realities of life already in their young lives, the least she and Achilles could do was guard them from what they did not absolutely need to know.

"Where did you go, baby?" Achilles asked as he pulled Alura into his arms. "I was worried, and I couldn't feel you for a little while, until our connection came back about half an hour ago."

"I assume Jess told you about the second kidnapper?"

Achilles nodded soberly. "She told me to let you know that her partner, Nick, is okay, just a mild concussion. And there's going to be an inquiry into the attack on Nick and the death of the kidnapper, but it won't touch us."

"That's good to hear. As long as Jess doesn't get into trouble over it."

"Alura, are you going to tell me where you went?"

Alura sighed and went to sit down on the sofa, curling into her Bond mate's side when he sat beside her.

"I went to make sure the one responsible doesn't threaten our family again," she said softly. "But I couldn't take care of it myself without drawing too much attention and putting the twins at risk. So I went to go see someone who could."

"Can this person be traced back to you?" Achilles asked.

He knew through their connection that she was reluctant to tell him who this person was. And he respected her need to shield anyone but herself from the knowledge. It didn't make him worry any less about her, however.

"I'll be fine," she assured with a loving smile.

After they had sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, Alura asked Achilles to retrieve the metal box from the side table where it had stayed since the night he rejected her. Flinching slightly at the memory of his greatest mistake, he did as she asked and brought it to her. Setting it in what was left of her lap, she lifted out the smallest of the three helix bands and handed it to him. Achilles was surprised to note the changes in her band, diamonds and rubies added to the piece, including a fair sized diamond and a similarly sized ruby on either side of the starburst pattern he remembered her telling him was designed by her father.

He studied it for a few silent moments, then asked, "The ruby is Rhade, right?"

"Yes," Alura confirmed. "And the diamond is you."

"I can guess that you chose a ruby for Rhade because he is your first love and has your heart, but why diamond for me?"

"I could say it's because our souls are Bonded, but I chose it before that happened," Alura stared into his eyes before continuing. "When I got my Avatar abilities back, I was able to once again see the Light in other beings. My mother's and mine are understandably bright, but Dylan's and yours are nearly as much so. And even without that, you brought light back into my life when I was at my darkest."

Achilles took a deep breath, his eyes slightly watery, "Thank you for telling me, baby. It means a lot to me."

"Anything for you," she whispered against his lips as he slipped her helix band onto her arm.

A deep, slow kiss had them losing track of time until one of the twins kicked, nudging both of them because of how entwined they had become. Achilles slid a hand down her belly, curving over the spot where one of the babies inside of Alura had just decided to become active.

"I hope that means you approve little one," Achilles said to the spot.

A flurry of small fluttery movements answered the query and Alura laughed.

"She's responding to your voice," she told her husband.

Achilles' eyebrows rose, "How long have they been doing that?"

"I've been communicating with them internally for about a month and a half, but it's only been a week since they started reacting to voices. Mine, Drago's and Britta's, anyway. The kids like to say goodnight and good morning to the babies."

Achilles smiled at the mental picture that presented.

"Do you…" he started, "do you want more children?"

Alura opened her mouth to answer, but Achilles cut her off.

"It's alright if four is enough for you, I was just wondering."

"Kill," she said firmly, capturing his gaze with hers. "Yes, I want to have more children. I want to have _lots_ of babies with you."

A smile curved his generous mouth. "I'm not going to love the twins any less because they aren't mine."

"I know," Alura responded, pulling his helix band out of the metal box that had somehow ended up beside her on the sofa.

She put the helix band on his arm, watching in amusement as he turned his arm at an odd angle to see the jewels on it.

Drago and Britta came in from playing outside just then, smiling and laughing.

"Momma, I think it's time for dinner," Drago said.

Alura didn't bother looking at the clock, knowing how accurate Drago's stomach was when it came to the time for meals. "Go get cleaned up and we'll head for the family dining room."

"Congratulations," both kids chorused before heading for the bathroom to wash their face and hands.

Achilles laughed. "I don't think they have any objections."

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"Rhade, you have the bridge," Dylan said as he turned to leave command and head for the hangar where his liaison from Tri-Lorn was docking.

It was two weeks before the next scheduled meeting, but Achilles had shown up late a time or two due to various circumstances, so being early was a change, but not too drastic a one.

Trance met Dylan in the hall and the two walked quickly together through the halls. The ramp on Achilles' ship had just started to lower when they reached it.

But the man walking out to meet them was not Captain Achilles Renier.

"Who are you?" Dylan asked.

The human looked about a decade older than Dylan and was wearing a Commonwealth uniform.

The man blinked at Dylan's abrupt question, but stepped forward with a smile and his hand extended. "Commander Martin, your new liaison, it's an honor to meet you, Captain Hunt."

Dylan perfunctorily shook hands with the man, but the frown stayed in place on his face.

"What happened to Captain Renier?" Trance asked, a note of worry in her voice.

"I don't think that's…" Martin started, but seeing that Dylan was also waiting for the answer, he conceded with a sigh. "Renier quit when Tri-Lorn wouldn't give him an extended period of time off duty. Rumor has it he got married shortly after."

"Tell him congratulations for us if you see him when you get back to Tarazed," Dylan said before leading the man to his office.

Dylan had noted the surprise, acceptance and happiness that flitted across Trance's expressive eyes, but he couldn't ask her about it until they were alone. That night when they had dressed, or rather undressed, for bed and turned on privacy mode, he did so.

Trance smiled at him, "You know who Achilles quit for and got married to, don't you?"

Dylan thought for a moment, his eyes widening. "Renier and Alura?"

Leaning down over Dylan's prone form to kiss a line from his chin to the middle of his chest, Trance nodded. Dylan captured her shoulders in his large hands and pulled Trance up to look in her eyes.

"And this is okay with you?"

Trance looked away for a moment but answered, "Yes. He loves her very much, and Alura shouldn't stop living just because things didn't go the way she first wanted them to."

"And Rhade?" Dylan asked with a trace of anger. "He's supposed to just let her go, without even having the choice?"

"Dylan, we've been over this. Alura didn't want to take him away from what he was meant to have. Besides, Nietzscheans are polygamists in order to ensure the continuation of their bloodlines as much as possible, you know that. And if he does want both her and Louisa once he is settled with Louisa, it will be up to them to make that choice."

Dylan sighed, "So he _will_ have the choice?"

Trance nodded and settled beside him, realizing that tonight would be a 'just sleep' night. She didn't like that talking about her daughter tended to put a damper on things between herself and Dylan, but neither did she want them coming together physically when mentally they were on different sides of an issue that was weighing so heavily on their minds.

Dylan pulled the bed covering up and over them, staring at the ceiling blindly. "You promise?"

"Yes, Dylan," Trance answered softly. "As soon as Rhade and Louisa are happily married, I will reverse the memory wipe and let him decide what to do from there."

She didn't add that she was pretty sure things would happen on their own. Trance knew that her being willing to undo her part in what had happened somehow eased the part of Dylan that still thought there was a chance she would leave him as Alura had Telemachus.

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Alura sat bolt upright in bed with a scream. Her breathing was erratic and her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest.

"What in the abyss _was_ that thing?" Achilles asked from beside her.

Alura's eyes widened, "You saw it, too?"

"It was hazy, but yes, I did."

"I'm so sorry, Kill, you must share particularly intense Visions with me now that we're Bonded."

"We can worry about that later, baby. What was that… place?"

Alura ran a hand through her hair, pushing the mass of curls back and out of the way. "Arkology."

"I didn't like it, but to watch it be destroyed like that…"

"I know."

"That scrawny blonde thing was Louisa?"

Alura nodded. "But the Vision never went that far before. I didn't know they were going to…" her voice broke, "oh, Divine help me…"

"We won't let them die," Achilles said firmly, pulling Alura unresistingly into his arms.

"We _can't_ let them," Alura corrected. "Not unless we want the Abyss to win."

Confusion swept through Achilles' mind right before he asked, "But I saw… something… after; Dylan was still alive. He went somewhere."

"I saw it too," Alura answered. "But Dylan must never go to Seefra. It is in a universe where the Abyss has already all but won. It was one of the many places I discarded before choosing this reality. We are just as lost if he goes there as we would be if he died."

"So it's time to leave Tarazed," Achilles said calmly.

"Yes," Alura answered. "But it won't be just us. It can't be."

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**Preview:** Time to leave Tarazed. Rhade meets Louisa. And Alura isn't the only one with secrets.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis. Parts of this chapter will jump forward in time, so forgive me if it's slightly confusing in context with the next chapter. They'll both be labeled.

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Alura looked around the room at the people who had answered her summons at such short notice. Without fail, each of the people she had grown closest to on Tarazed had dropped whatever they were doing and met in her front room. She had waited for the first few hours of morning to pass before sending the summons, but even that short wait had been nerve-wracking. Achilles was standing beside her, offering his silent but strong support. She had already discussed with him what had to happen. They had decided together how much the others needed to be told.

Britta and Drago sat on the floor at their feet. Cassandra was there, along with two of her husbands: Odin and Ticon. Ticon's son and daughter, Terren and Ariadne, waited quietly as well. Baldur and Jess were also present.

"For reasons I can't share with you unless you choose to come with us," Alura began, "it's time I went home, and I need as much of my family with me as I can get."

Surprise was evident on several faces, but Odin was the first to speak.

"I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that we are honored that you consider us family," Achilles' father said. "And I understand and respect that there are some parts of your life you have to keep secret, but that isn't enough information to make a decision to leave our home. For one thing, how long would we be gone? And how much time would we have to wrap up our affairs here?"

"Unfortunately, the sooner we leave the better. I'd leave in an hour if I could. As for when we'd be back, it may be a few weeks, or it could be years, I really have no way of knowing. And I know that I don't have full legal custody of Britta, but we want her with us, so Achilles would like to have official guardianship of her."

Cassandra and Odin shared a look, and Cassandra said, "Can you give us a few minutes to talk privately?"

"Of course," Alura nodded. "Come on, Drago, Britta."

The two children got up to follow she and Achilles from the room, but Cassandra speaking again stopped them.

"Britta can stay since this concerns her future."

Alura nodded and gently guided the girl toward her grandmother before leaving the room with her Bond mate and her son.

"They won't take her from us, will they, Momma?" Drago asked worriedly when they had left the room.

"I hope not, sweetie," Alura answered, disappointed that she couldn't reassure him.

It was only a few minutes later that Ariadne came to usher the three of them back into the room, her face betraying nothing. Alura was too overwhelmed herself to read the younger woman's emotions.

One look at Britta's face when they reentered the room, however, broke the tension. With an excited squeal, Drago threw himself at his best friend. The two children landed in a hugging heap on the floor. The adults in the room smiled indulgently at the sight, but Alura brought their attention back to the matter at hand.

"Have any of you decided whether you're coming with us or not?"

Odin stood and came forward to hug his son and new daughter-in-law. "I will miss all of you terribly, but I have too much that depends on me here to be able to leave at such short notice. Perhaps if you're able to come back for a short time in a year or so, I'll be able to join you. But until then, take care of each other. All of you."

Once Odin had left the room, Alura looked around at the others in astonishment. "You're all coming?"

She had thought there was a good chance that Jess and Baldur would come with them, and Ariadne would probably at least want to. But to have all but Odin willing to take that leap into the unknown was overwhelming.

"You're going to need someone to take care of Drago and Britta while you're doing whatever it is that's making you leave Tarazed," Cassandra said. "And I find myself wanting to see more of the universe."

Ticon was the next to speak, "Both of my children and my wife are going with you, and I can work on my art anywhere."

Alura nodded and smiled.

She turned her attention to Jess and Baldur, "I feel awful about doing this to you two. You've already changed your lives for the twins and I once…"

"And we will continue to do so if it's what you need," Jess interrupted.

Alura would have said something to give Telemachus' father and his wife an out, but Achilles squeezed her arm lightly, telling her through their Bond that it would only hurt their feelings if they thought she didn't want them with her. Instead, she gave them a grateful smile.

"So, now that that's settled, where _is_ home?" Cassandra asked.

Alura grinned slightly, "Tarn Vedra."

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Once the group got past their surprise, and then the excitement of going to the lost, founding planet of the Commonwealth, Alura shared all the relevant information with them. What was going to happen to Arkology, and to the Andromeda and her crew because of it. She also told them the parts of her reality that seemed to correlate with the untimely destruction of the Andromeda. In her own past, Dylan and his crew had been the last group to truly stand up to the Abyss and his minions, the Magog. After their deaths, it had only been a matter of time before planets, entire galaxies, fell one by one.

Tarn Vedra had been the last civilized, governed planet to fall to the Magog worldship. The Vedrans had been working on weapons to alternately maim and destroy the worldship but had been unable to complete either of them in time. With the records Alura had stored onboard the Dance Among the Stars, the process could be sped up by nearly two decades of testing and planning. There was no way they would be finished in time to attack the worldship when it was trying to destroy Arkology, of course, but the super weapons were not the only reason to contact the Vedrans.

Because whether or not simply moving the Arkology through slipstream would throw off the worldship for more than a few hours remained to be seen, and Dylan and the rest of the crew of the Andromeda would need help in the fight. And they wouldn't get it from residents of the self-contained habitat. Nor would they get it from Tri-Lorn, despite the fact that he claimed to support Dylan. The triumvir was a politician first and foremost and would not risk his own armies to help Dylan save people who didn't help him stay in power.

But if Alura could prove to the Vedran officials how important it was that a place of peace, a place the Abyss was so intent on destroying, remain safe, she might be able to convince them to lend her at least a small fleet. Or at the very least, the chance to once again command the first, and full-sized, warship Dance Among the Stars. The main difficulty would be in getting the Vedrans to trust them in time to be able to help the Andromeda and Arkology. They had understandably become an overly cautious people since going into hiding.

"Why can't we go to Arkology first and help them?" Ariadne asked when Alura had finished explaining the situation.

Alura twitched slightly before answering, "We can't be there when the Andromeda is."

Ariadne's gaze went to Baldur for a moment before switching back to Alura. The half-Avatar glanced at her former father-in-law when she noticed Ariadne's distraction. Baldur was frowning slightly, staring thoughtfully at her face.

"Baldur?" she prodded gently.

"Why waste the time?" the dark-haired man asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Alura replied.

"Why even try to help save Arkology at all? From what you've told us, they don't try to save themselves until the last possible second. Why not intercept the Andromeda and take them with us to Tarn Vedra so they don't get themselves killed for a bunch of peace-loving idiots?"

Alura took a deep breath before answering, "As much as I disagree with the way they choose to live, there are three _million_ residents on Arkology, including thousands of children and all that is left of Ana Purna Pride. I have to let Captain Hunt and the others try to save them." Baldur opened his mouth, but Alura held up a hand. "I will not allow my mother or Telemachus or any other member of the Andromeda's crew to be killed if there is anything at all that I can do about it. You have my word on that."

Baldur nodded once in acceptance, Jess lacing her fingers through her husband's in support.

Ariadne cleared her throat. "Actually, what I meant was, why don't we go there first, before the Andromeda does. You said fixing the slipstream drive of the habitat will take more time than they'll have and even then only Harper would be able to work on it. Why don't we go, fix the drive, and _then_ go to Tarn Vedra? It should give the Andromeda's crew a big advantage they wouldn't have had otherwise."

A full, genuine smile lit Alura's features. "That's a great plan, Ariadne. So, first step, we go to Arkology and fix the slipstream drive. When that's done, we'll go to Tarn Vedra and try to convince the Vedrans to help us fight the Magog worldship. But before we leave, I'm afraid the most I can give you is two days to pack what you'll need to have with you for the foreseeable future and to say good-bye. And remember, not a word about where we're going. Knowledge is a dangerous thing right now."

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The next two days passed in a busy blur of activity, Alura having to assure everyone at least once that whatever they could pack they would have room for. She also got visits from Hector and a few of Achilles' siblings, all of them wanting to make sure their mother (and in Hector's case, his wife) would be safe with her. On the second morning she also found out, from Cassandra, exactly what Ajax thought she was trying to get from his family.

Each child born into Cassandra's bloodline among Valhalla Pride was given a trust when they were born, and their parent or guardian was in charge of the money until that child came of age. Ajax had thought Alura only kept Britta to get her hands on the money. After she had finished laughing, Alura had led Cassandra to the Dance. Achilles' mother was the only one besides Achilles and Odin who had been onboard at that point, but Alura led the older woman straight to one of her storage rooms instead of giving her a tour. There would be plenty of time for that when everyone was onboard and they were on their way to Arkology.

Ushered into one of the places Alura kept the riches of the Nietzschean people from her own reality, Cassandra's jaw hung open for several minutes.

"Now," Alura asked, "am I safe in assuming this is more money than whatever I might steal from Britta?"

Cassandra had been unable to speak, simply nodding instead. Because the other woman was in such shock, Alura refrained from mentioning that this was simply one of the store rooms used for this purpose.

Instead, as she and Cassandra walked back inside the compound, Alura told her, "I am taking on responsibility for all of you, and that means financially as well. You can tell Ajax and anyone else who's worried about that what I showed you."

"I knew you would never hurt Britta in any way," Cassandra assured her.

"I know," Alura responded simply.

They were almost to Alura's door when Ariadne appeared, wringing her hands.

"I'm sorry, Alura, I have no idea how she got passed the front gate, but I couldn't stop her…"

"Who?" Cassandra asked, but Alura had already entered her rooms.

A fiercely scowling Isis stood in the front room, Drago holding an energy weapon at the dark-haired woman, Britta tucked safely behind him.

"Tell the brat to get his weapon off of me," she demanded the second she saw Alura.

Alura snorted, "If you don't leave right now, I'll let him shoot you."

Telemachus' mother narrowed her eyes even further. "All of this is your fault. If you hadn't seduced my son…"

"Shut up, Isis," Alura said. "What Telemachus and I had is none of your business and you're trespassing."

"How dare you speak to me like that! I am Matriarch of Majorem Pride, and I will use whatever is at my disposal to make your life a living hell."

"You aren't the only Matriarch in this room, Isis," Cassandra bit off, causing Alura to glance her way and wonder where Ariadne had gone. "And Alura has the full backing of Valhalla. I really don't think Perseus would want his Pride being pitted against my brother's just because someone foiled your plans for your son."

"You may be sister of the Alpha, Cassandra, but you are not Matriarch."

"I never claimed to be," Cassandra said simply. "Alura is the Matriarch of Kodiak Pride. Which I can assure you, is growing by leaps and bounds. Leave before you say anything else you'll regret."

"Do you know who you're supporting?" Isis asked, spite clear in her tone. "She's responsible for the death of my husband…"

"I can assure you I'm alive and better off than I ever was under your thumb," Baldur cut her off as he entered the room, Ariadne and three guards following on his heels.

"Octavius is dead," Isis shrieked. "He and four of his co-workers were slaughtered yesterday!"

A cold smile curved Alura's mouth, "Did the slaves escape?"

Isis paled and stared at Alura, "So it was you. I'll have you arrested and executed…"

"Alura hasn't left the compound in two days, she couldn't possibly have killed Octavius," Baldur said. "And do you really think Octavius couldn't hold his own against a pregnant woman?"

"Then she hired someone!"

Baldur stood close to his ex-wife and waved the guards out of the room.

When they were gone, he told Isis calmly, "Unless you want Octavius' real business to come out and cast a stain on you, your daughters' and your grandchildren's lives, I suggest you discourage any investigation into his death. I am personally going to make sure Perseus knows what Octavius was doing and your part in it. Don't think I don't know you were behind the kidnapping attempt on Drago."

"That was Octavius being sloppy, I just wanted _her_ and that brat away from my family," Isis spat.

"And we all know how well that worked out," Alura commented. "If you had even the slightest bit of patience or self-control, you would have discovered we were leaving tomorrow anyway. You brought all of this on yourself."

Alura hadn't actually known until now that Isis was the reason Octavius had tried to have Drago kidnapped, but it didn't matter. Leaving Isis alive but alone and, with any luck, an outcast among her own Pride was the best punishment Alura could think of for the other woman. Baldur took hold of Isis' arm and pushed her out the door, telling the guards to escort her back to Majorem Pride's complex and that he would catch up with them.

"Are you okay?" Baldur asked Alura when the guards had dragged Isis away.

Alura nodded, whispering to him, "She's right, you know."

"I know," he whispered back. "And no one on the force will be pursuing this."

"Thank you."

Baldur left, and after making sure Alura was okay, Ariadne followed suit to go and finish her packing. Alura gave Britta and Drago reassuring hugs and sent them to their rooms to finish their own packing. She sat down on the sofa, Cassandra sitting beside her.

"You called me Matriarch," Alura commented quietly.

"Yes," Cassandra replied simply. "You are."

Alura laughed slightly, "I never thought about it before, but I suppose I am. And I appreciate you including yourself as part of Kodiak Pride. I was going to extend the invitation to all of you once we were under way. Achilles has already accepted dual membership in Kodiak and Valhalla."

"The rest of us will, too, dear."

Cassandra gave Alura a quick hug and left.

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The next day, the day they left Tarazed, word had been spread that Octavius of Majorem Pride and four other men had gotten into a fight that had resulted in all of them dying. Isis was remarkably silent about the whole affair, she and her daughters going into secluded mourning and a cousin of hers taking over the position of Matriarch of Majorem Pride, the Alpha, Perseus, making it clear that her son Telemachus Rhade was still in line to be the next Alpha.

Only a handful of people knew part of the real story. One slave had seen part of what happened but was understandably completely unwilling to turn in the person who had freed her. She had, in fact, disappeared hours later. Octavius' four underlings had been killed brutally but swiftly with knives, but Octavius' death had very obviously been dragged out, the final wounds the same ones Alura told Baldur he had inflicted on slaves that outgrew their usefulness, the same ones the second man from the kidnapping attempt had died of, an 'X' made of two deep cuts in the neck. Drago's would-be kidnappers had been punished, and Alura was able to let another part of her past rest.

The journey to Arkology, though it took a few days, was uneventful. Alura gave everyone tours of the Dance, but other than that, they all relaxed in preparation for all they would soon be doing. Ariadne, Baldur and Jess had the most knowledge when it came to engineering, but Alura thought it was too risky for Baldur to be seen on Arkology because of how much he and Telemachus looked alike. So Alura, Achilles, Jess and Ariadne would be the ones going onto Arkology to work on the slipstream drive. Danny would also help them, the others staying on the Dance for the duration.

"Habitat Arkology, this is the commander of the ship Dance Among the Stars," Alura sent out a message. "We request permission to dock and ask to speak to your leader about trading for food supplies."

"This is Louisa Messereau of the Habitat Arkology. You are welcome to dock, someone will meet you to take you to the appropriate member of our Council."

Alura had stiffened when the woman introduced herself, but she replied, "Thank you."

When the Dance had docked, they were met by a young man who serenely asked that they follow him to the Council room. A short distance away, Louisa and a man in official looking robes were getting aboard a small transport ship.

"Interesting timing," Achilles told her as they walked, motioning with his head toward the departing duo.

Alura, dressed in her voluminous black cloak so her presence would be remarked upon as little as possible when her mother eventually showed up, nodded slowly. "It's exactly three weeks until Louisa and the Ambassador meet up with… the Andromeda. We don't have much time."

They were led to a large room with a group of backless seats set in a circle. An older, heavyset man in robes similar to the Ambassador's stood waiting for them. Alura was surprised to see that his Light was as bright as Achilles' and Dylan's.

"Welcome, friends," the man said. "I am Marlowe, head of the Council of Arkology. I understand that you are in need of some supplies."

"My name is Alura, this is Achilles, Ariadne, Jess and Danny. And yes, something is wrong with one of our storage receptacles, and the supplies that were in it went bad prematurely. We did a scan as we approached and noticed you have a nonworking slipdrive. We'd be willing to fix it in return for whatever you can spare."

"That isn't necessary, we have no need for slipstream," Marlowe replied breezily. "I'm sure we can work something else out."

Alura pooled all of her energy into the power of persuasion. "I'm afraid we don't have any other way to pay you, and you never know when something like that can come in handy."

"Very well, I'll have someone show you to the core while we see what we can spare."

Marlowe smiled pleasantly, but Alura was still wary of him. She wasn't able to read him at all, and he had been intently watching she and Achilles the whole time they were in the room with him. While she could understand the oddity she presented with her blue hair and multi-toned skin, Achilles, while handsome, was an ordinary Nietzschean. He didn't really warrant that much curiosity from another man.

They were shown to the slipstream core by Thomas, the same man who had first greeted them. After Danny ran a diagnostic, they calculated that it would take several hours of all four of them working to get the drive into running condition. A couple hours later, Alura sent Achilles and Ariadne to get some more tools from the Dance. Almost immediately, she felt anxious. When Ariadne returned without Achilles fifteen minutes later, the feeling intensified.

"Where's Kill?" Alura asked.

Ariadne shrugged and handed the tools she had been carrying to Jess, "Thomas stopped us on the way back and said Marlowe wanted to see him."

A sudden, brief Vision leeched the color from Alura's face. All it showed was Marlowe leaving the care of the residents of Arkology to Dylan before disappearing in a swirl of tiny lights, but it was enough. It made everything else finally add up. But now she had to stop Marlowe from mistakenly taking her husband from her.

"Keep working," she yelled as she ran out of the core.

She burst into the room just as Marlowe was inviting a confused Achilles to sit down.

"Marlowe, stop," Alura yelled. "He's not the one you're waiting for."

"Alura?" Achilles murmured.

She wrapped a hand around his wrist to assure herself that he was okay.

"But I was told to watch for this. A Paradine and the Avatar he loves," Marlowe protested, motioning individually to Achilles and Alura.

Achilles looked and felt shocked, the utter surprise he felt over what he was traveling instantaneously through the Bond. Alura sent him reassuring waves of comfort, along with a mental promise to later explain how she had known to come to his aid. Various emotions began to flood her mate, and it took tremendous effort to concentrate on the Paradine whose chosen form was an older, dark-skinned man.

"We're not the ones you're waiting for," Alura said firmly. "First of all, I'm only half Avatar _and_ we're both Nietzschean, which are not characteristics of the couple you were told about. And secondly, he more than loves me, he's my Bond mate."

She flicked back the shoulder of her cloak so Marlowe could see the helix band wrapped around her left bicep. Instead of looking at the proof of her marriage, however, the older man stared at her pregnant belly, which was obvious without the cover of the cloak.

"I see," he murmured. "I apologize, but you have to understand that in the three hundred years I've been here, I've never met another Paradine or an Avatar, let alone both together. I was so overcome, I didn't think to make sure you were the right ones."

"It's alright," Alura answered softly. "We didn't know until just now that Achilles _was_ Paradine, otherwise one of us would have remained on our ship to avoid confusion."

Marlowe nodded slowly. "You know who I _am_ waiting for, don't you?"

"It's complicated," Alura said, "but yes, I think I do. I'm sure you realize that I have to let you discover them for yourself."

"Of course," Marlowe responded. After a moment, he commented, "You're not really in need of supplies, are you?"

Alura shook her head, "It's just something that has to be done."

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When they were alone a few hours later… Ariadne and Jess having gone to the Dance to eat and get some sleep after Alura had assured them she could finish without them… Alura walked into Achilles' arms and rested her weight against his stronger frame. He sighed deeply and kissed the top of her head, wrapping her in his embrace.

"So, I married one of the Paradine," she commented lightly.

Achilles lowered his gaze to meet hers, faint worry washing over her from his mind. "I didn't know until Marlowe said it."

"I know," Alura assured. Achilles' tension eased slightly. "Do you know anything more now?"

Her husband's blue eyes clouded slightly, "Some. I just… I don't want you to get upset."

Alura frowned. "Why would I get upset?"

Achilles sighed and shrugged, "It's complicated. What I do remember is that there are a few different classes of Paradine. Those like Marlowe that know who and what they are and act as spiritual leaders, those like Dylan who are living mortal lives and don't know what they are until confronted with it…"

"Wouldn't that be what you are, as well?" Alura interrupted.

"No," Achilles shook his head. "I'm the third kind. Those like me are guardians, watchers, we observe and influence but never take corporeal form to live among mortals."

Alura took on a bemused expression and playfully poked a finger into his very firm and definitely corporeal chest. He grinned at her amusement and captured her finger to bring it to his lips for a quick kiss.

"Part of my responsibilities was watching over you," Achilles continued, studying her carefully. Her deep blue eyes widened slightly, but she was still listening acceptingly. "When you decided to use the Route of Ages to come here and try to fix things, I asked to be allowed a corporeal form in this reality. Obviously they allowed it, but there are things I still can't remember, I think in punishment for something I did a few years before you left your reality."

"Is that why you loved me so immediately?" Alura asked in a small voice, awed by what Achilles had told her.

His broad shoulders lifted and fell. "I'm not sure. I had no memory of any life but this one until today, and some of what I know now is still confusing."

Alura lifted one hand to gently trace his jaw.

She stood on her toes to kiss his mouth before telling him, "I'm here for you no matter what."

Achilles smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her pointed ear before releasing his hold on her. "We need to finish up if we're going to leave in the morning."

Alura nodded and turned back to the last coupling she was replacing. When she was done here, she would make sure the slipstream drive would turn on before heading back to the Dance for the night. The rest was, hopefully, up to Dylan, the Andromeda and her crew, and the residents of Arkology. If she had to interfere again, she would, but she hoped she wouldn't have to.

"Alura," Achilles called from the doorway as he left. She looked over at him. "I chose this particular life so that I would at least meet you. I remember that much."

Alura smiled lovingly at him before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

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**Three weeks later…**

"… Louisa… pilot for Ambassador… Arkology… under fire… damaged… request…"

The distress call from the small, unarmed transport ship was choppy at best.

Telemachus frowned when Beka shot him an odd look before turning her attention to Dylan. Harper's eyes were trained fixedly on the screen in front of them, a rather somber expression on the engineer's face. Trance was standing beside the captain, an indefinable look in her eyes. Dylan sighed heavily before speaking.

Something strange was going on. It was almost like they had known this unexpected rescue mission was going to happen and had been dreading it.

"Harper, fire on their attackers and get the shuttle into one of the hangars. Beka and Rhade, you're with me." Dylan turned to the quiet woman beside him, "Do you want to come with us?"

Trance glanced at Telemachus and then away, answering softly, "I don't think so. I'll wait for you in the conference room with Rommie and Harper."

"Alright."

Dylan leaned down to kiss Trance's forehead gently before leaving the room. Telemachus though it was odd that the captain had not bothered to wait and see if their assistance was successful before leaving, but shrugged and followed his CO, Beka close behind. Telemachus' confusion only grew on the silent walk to the hangar Harper informed them the shuttle was in. Dylan seemed to hesitate several times, even shaking his head once.

"Captain?" Telemachus dared as they drew up to the door to the hangar and Dylan once again faltered.

The quick lift of Dylan's lips was more of a grimace than a smile. "It's nothing, Rhade, I was just wondering how we keep getting into these situations."

"Amen to that," Beka snorted, but it lacked her usual zeal.

Telemachus' eyebrows flew up at Dylan's fatalistic tone. Dylan Hunt had always been a champion of the people. He lived to help others. So why the sudden cynicism? And why was Beka acting almost… defeated? Telemachus resolved to ask Andromeda everything she knew about their visitors once he was off duty. Maybe there was a history here from the time before he had been aboard the Andromeda Ascendant.

"Thank you for your assistance," a slender blonde woman, a Nietzschean, said as she exited the craft behind a human male in official looking robes. "I am the pilot of this vessel, Louisa Messereau, and this is Ambassador Galdamez. We are emissaries of the habitat Arkology."

"Welcome to the Andromeda Ascendant," Dylan responded. "I'm Captain Hunt, this is Captain Beka Valentine, my Second-In-Command, and my Weapons Officer, Commander Telemachus Rhade."

"Thank you, Captain Hunt," the Ambassador replied simply.

Louisa's pale eyes traveled over Dylan and Beka before settling on Telemachus. With an obvious glance at his arm spines, Louisa turned all her attention to him and made a formal introduction. Through the bloodlines his mother had drilled in his head from the time he was very young, Telemachus knew that Louisa was claiming to be of Ana Purna Pride, a Pride thought to have been wiped out three hundred years before.

But until they had met up with Alura and then Drago, they had believed that Kodiak Pride was gone too, so who was he to doubt the woman's word? And did it really matter either way?

"Telemachus Rhade, out of Majorem by Rhade," he responded politely, leaving out his parent's names in favor of the less detailed greeting.

He didn't plan on this woman needing to know his exact lineage.

"Easy, boy, didn't know you were that hard up," Beka muttered, loud enough for their guests to just catch it.

The Ambassador's already somber face took on a put out expression. Louisa gave Telemachus a coy look, but he barely took note of it, turning to glare at Beka instead, his arms crossing over his chest and a muscle in his cheek jumping in anger.

"What?" the Captain of the Maru asked, her eyes wide in pretended innocence.

Mindful of the fact that a scene between his second and third in command would make Dylan look bad in front of their guests, Telemachus held his tongue until a better time, deliberately turning away from Beka. Telemachus made another mental note when he noticed that Dylan hadn't reacted to Beka's jibe in anyway, despite the fact that he often played mediator when they had one of their disagreements. The only time Dylan hadn't done so before was when the captain believed that Beka was, at least in part, right. How could that possibly be the case here?

Despite his disbelief, Telemachus had to admit to himself that it must be true when Dylan maneuvered things so that he and Beka flanked the Ambassador on the way to the conference room, forcing Telemachus to fall into step beside the Nietzschean pilot.

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**Preview:** The Andromeda's crew tries to do what they think is necessary and wind up making Rhade mad. Alura finally makes it home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis. Part of this chapter will jump back in time, so forgive me if it's slightly confusing. It'll be labeled.

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Telemachus thanked the Divine silently and repeatedly as they walked. Instead of Louisa trying to start a conversation with him, she seemed perfectly willing to listen in to the diplomatic posturing of the ambassador and the two captains. By the time they reached the meeting room, Telemachus knew enough about the people of Arkology to know he wouldn't get along with them on a long-term basis. He was deeply surprised any Nietzschean could choose to live that way, let alone whatever was left of Ana Purna Pride, and he supposed there had to be quite a few for their Pride to have lasted for 300 years on Arkology without inbreeding.

Ambassador Galdamez took the seat at the head of the table after introductions were made all around. Trance was quieter than she usually was when they had guests. Harper kept staring at Louisa oddly and then glancing at Telemachus before gazing at Louisa again. Once everyone was seated, Dylan asked what the two visitors had been doing so far away from the Arkology.

"We were on a diplomatic mission to sign a peace treaty with the Magog," Ambassador Galdamez answered with more than a trace of pride.

Every member of the Andromeda's crew that was in the room stared open-mouthed at the man.

"You're going to…" Harper spluttered. "What are you going to do, fly right up to the worldship and say _here I am, eat me_!"

"Mr. Harper," Dylan bit off in that tone that meant 'shut up'. "I'm sorry, Ambassador, but we have had _many_ encounters with the Magog and not once has peace been an option. You're obviously delivering yourselves directly into a trap."

"You misunderstand, Captain Hunt. We've already signed the treaty. We were on our way back to Arkology when we were attacked by those marauders."

"Captain," Rommie said quietly, the tone of her voice alerting Telemachus to the fact that she was asking permission to do something.

Dylan nodded at the ship-made-flesh, and Telemachus watched anxiously as Rommie's eyes closed in concentration as sometimes happened when she was communicating silently with her ship-self or searching records. He had a bad feeling about what it was she was looking for. And though he had never had as devastating an experience with the Magog as Harper and the others had before he had been a member of the crew, he knew enough to know that the Ambassador and his people were fools if they actually believed the tripe the Ambassador was spewing.

Galdamez was waxing poetic about greeting the universe with love when Rommie again said, "Captain!"

But this time there was panic in her voice.

Almost an instant after Rommie had spoken, Galdamez groaned. Everyone in the room was immediately on alert, except maybe for Louisa, who was standing behind and to the left of her superior. When the man stood and staggered away from his chair, everyone else stood as well, each drawing his or her weapons and pointing them at the Ambassador. Galdamez fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head and disgusting green foam dribbling from his slack mouth.

Louisa cried out in shock, but the Andromeda's crew simply waited, knowing it was much to late to do anything for Galdamez. Seconds later, the man's stomach exploded, a single Magog larvae launching itself in the air toward Dylan. A calmly aimed force lance blast destroyed the creature, and Dylan sent a follow-up barrage into the cavity in the dead Ambassador's body to make sure the rest of the larvae didn't make it out.

Louisa had covered her mouth with her hand, backing a few steps away from the Ambassador's body.

"Are you okay?" Dylan asked her.

Louisa nodded but then shrugged. "I… I don't know how that could have happened."

Rommie spoke up then, "Louisa's scan is clear. The Ambassador must have consumed something that had been infested."

"He… he had a glass of water…"

"Rhade," Dylan ordered. "Take Louisa to medical. She needs to be watched for shock."

Telemachus frowned, "Shouldn't Trance take her?"

Dylan frowned back at him. "Trance isn't on duty right now, someone else will be there to help her in medical."

"Then Harper can do it, you'll need me to help with the body."

"I'll take care of the body," Rommie put in.

Telemachus had the sudden urge to ask if they had slipped into a parallel universe where no one wanted him to do anything that required any kind of effort. He wondered what Dylan would do if he refused outright to accompany the other Nietzschean. Then he glanced at Louisa, still staring in horror at the body on the floor. A twinge of sympathy caused him to sigh and beckon the woman out of the room. As they were leaving, he could have sworn there were several sighs of relief in the room behind them.

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did," Louisa said softly a they walked. "I've just… never seen anything like that before."

"The peace treaty was an obvious attempt to infiltrate Arkology from the inside," Telemachus remarked.

He felt almost as if he were berating a child. He hadn't had a lot of experience with the Magog, thank the Divine, but even he knew not to trust a Magog as far as you could throw them. Not that anyone would want to get close enough to be able to throw them anywhere.

Louisa had looked away at his words, but she spoke softly now, "We have to warn Arkology. If we hadn't been delayed and then attacked, we would have been back already. I assume this will not be the only thing the Magog do."

"I'm sure Captain Hunt is already instructing the Andromeda to head for Arkology," Telemachus assured.

"I must thank your captain for all of his assistance. If he was not acting as transport, I would never get back in time to tell my people what is coming." She added, more to herself than him, "Marlowe will want to hold a Council session."

"It will be good to have time to prepare yourselves for the battle to come," Telemachus easily agreed.

Louisa cast him a startled glance. "I thought you understood from the Ambassador that Arkology is peaceful. We choose to greet the universe with love and understanding, not weapons and hatred."

Telemachus stopped dead in his tracks. "Are you telling me you'll just stand there and let the Magog eat all of you, even the children of the habitat?"

He had snarled the question, and Louisa took a hesitant step away from him.

"What good is faith and belief if you abandon them at the first sign of trouble?" Louisa asked softly.

"A belief in peace at any cost is not worth thousands of lives!"

"Millions."

"What?"

"You said thousands of lives; there are three million residents of Arkology," she told him. "And we have all chosen to follow this path."

"No," he bit off. "You've been born into it. And what kind of choice can the children of Arkology make when all you allow them to know is the way you choose to be?"

If she had an answer to that, he didn't want to hear it. With a disgusted growl, Telemachus nearly jogged the last several feet to the door to medical. Louisa thanked him meekly and went into the room. Telemachus spun on his heel and stalked toward command, where he was still supposed to be on duty.

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"Rhade? Where's Louisa?"

Telemachus rolled his eyes at Dylan's question as he resumed his post. "Still on medical, I assume. You did order me to escort her there."

"Why aren't you there with her?" Dylan asked.

His head snapping to the side in Dylan's direction, Telemachus stared at his CO as if the other man had just announced that they would be working for the Abyss and wearing pink tutus while doing so.

"I'm not a medical officer."

Dylan didn't have a response to this, and Telemachus turned back to his station. A few minutes later, Dylan absently told Telemachus that he had command before leaving. The Nietzschean shook his head at the odd way his usually predictable captain was behaving.

As he went about his duties that day, he kept running into Louisa, sometimes accompanied by Harper and sometimes by Beka or Dylan or both. Trance had disappeared somewhere, Telemachus not seeing her again until dinner.

When dinner was served for the senior officers in the formal dining room near Dylan's quarters, Telemachus was somehow the last one there even though he was technically two minutes early. And of course the only seat left was the one next to their guest. Telemachus glared across the table at Harper, who was usually at least five minutes later than everyone else, as if it was his fault _everyone_ had suddenly decided to show up early for something.

Louisa gave him a tentative smile when he was forced to glance her way, an admiring glance sliding over his dress uniform. Trying to remember his manners despite his bad mood, Telemachus made an attempt to smile back, though he was sure it came out as more of a grimace.

Louisa began asking him questions about the Andromeda and about his own history as they ate. He thought it was a bit rude for her to focus so completely on him, but none of the others seemed to mind. In fact, they made it difficult for anyone but him to entertain their guest.

Although their mouths were never empty long enough to join in polite conversation, his crewmates must have been chewing as slowly as humanly possible, because their plates still contained more food than Telemachus and Louisa's, even though the two Nietzscheans _had_ occasionally been speaking.

Telemachus finished eating and made his excuses as soon as he was politely able to do so. He made a detour to obs deck to pick up one of Alura's plants before heading back to his quarters, needing some small connection with her after the trying day he'd had. He sighed heavily when only minutes later a knock came to his door.

"Andromeda," Telemachus called.

The holographic version of the ship appeared to his right. "Yes, Commander?"

"Please tell me the person on the other side of that door is not our guest."

Andromeda blinked and answered, "It's not. Rommie is waiting for you in the hall."

Telemachus strode to the door and opened it, "Can I help you, Rommie?"

"Harper asked me to pass on the message that Dylan would like to see you in his office."

The android looked stoic, which set off a warning bell in Telemachus' head. When speaking of the two human males she was closest to, Rommie always had some sort of expression on her face.

"I'm off-duty, Rommie. And why didn't Dylan just send me a message himself?"

Rommie tilted her head slightly. "Harper said the communications systems in Dylan's office are temporarily down. Evidently it happened while Harper was trying to fix something else."

Having delivered her message, Rommie turned and walked away. Telemachus' gaze slid back to the holographic Andromeda still behind him in the room. He didn't need to ask anything aloud, the AI had become very good at reading his expressions.

"The communications system _is _off in Dylan's office, but Dylan is not in it. He is on command."

Telemachus sighed. "What would be the point of Harper sending me on a wild goose chase?"

Andromeda's eyes widened slightly and Telemachus could have sworn he almost saw her hide a laugh. "Beka is in the hall you would have to walk down to get there. Louisa Messereau is with her. Beka is speaking rather flatteringly about you to our guest."

Telemachus growled. "Tell Harper if I see him he's going to be hanging by his toes above the slipstream core."

"Of course, Commander," Andromeda replied, not bothering to hide her smile.

Not wanting to know how far Beka would push things and fearing getting trapped with Louisa in his own quarters, Telemachus left the room and stalked through the ship, giving the hall Beka and Louisa were in a wide berth.

Not wanting to be _ordered_ by Dylan to act as companion to Louisa while she was onboard if he said anything about it to the captain, Telemachus decided to confront the only other person he normally found to be logical. After all, trying to reason with Beka or Harper was often tantamount to beating his skull against a solid bulkhead. Rommie, of course, would do as Dylan or Harper wanted her to, and though Andromeda had proven helpful many times, she wasn't part of the problem and therefore couldn't assist him this time.

He found Trance on obs deck.

She smiled at him, the gesture not reaching her eyes as she asked, "Don't you think it's a lovely night? You should go and show Louisa the hydroponics bay."

"Stop throwing Louisa Messereau at me," he growled. "Have you all completely lost your minds?"

Trance faltered visibly, "We thought you would like…"

"She isn't even worth half of…" Telemachus interrupted, but he trailed off before he completed the thought.

"Half of?" Trance echoed, prompting him to continue.

For a second Telemachus thought she had sounded hopeful, but until he was sure of what had happened to his memories of Alura and his marriage to her, he wasn't willing to risk it happening again if he confronted his crewmates. Maybe what sounded like hope to him was actually suspicion.

He couldn't compare their guest to his wife. Despite the fact that basic knowledge of her had remained after whatever had happened, Alura just being his friend wouldn't elicit that kind of response from him, and Trance was sure to know it.

"Half of my attention. My loyalty is to the Andromeda and to Dylan. And even if it wasn't, Nietzscheans don't dally outside of marriage, at least the self-respecting ones don't," Telemachus growled, running a hand through his hair. "Louisa certainly isn't attractive or intriguing enough to make me think about leaving the Andromeda for her, and the way she chooses to live her life shows that she and I have nothing in common. Obviously the rest of you don't think very much of me if you believe I would feel anything like that after less than twenty-four hours. I'd appreciate it if you could tell everyone to stop trapping me in situations with her. Otherwise I'm going to start locking myself in my quarters when I'm not on duty."

Trance looked for a moment as if she wanted to argue, but instead she simply frowned and nodded.

"And Trance? If she wants a tour, get Harper or Beka to give it to her."

He turned to go, Trance's voice stopping him for only a second.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

For just an instant, Telemachus thought she meant the apology for much more than whatever had gotten the crew acting as extremely misguided matchmakers, but he brushed it aside.

Even if she was sorry for whatever had happened to him, he wasn't ready to forgive her.

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Trance watched her daughter's former husband stalk from the room, anger still rolling from him in waves. She was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that the reason Alura had left them had somehow been affected despite everything she had done to set it right.

With a sigh, Trance turned her attention inward. She had been feeling anxious and agitated for the past few days, but somehow she knew simply meeting the woman who was supposed to replace her daughter in Telemachus' heart was not the reason. And neither was the Magog's attempt to infiltrate Arkology by sending back the infested Ambassador. It went deeper than that. Something big… important… was going to happen, and Trance couldn't fight the shiver of fear that slid down her spine.

At least Alura was safe from the impending danger.

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Telemachus lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Unable to sleep, he was entertaining himself thinking of various ways to torture members of the crew. Well, the ones who had been pushing him at Louisa anyway. Which only seemed to consist of his 'friends'. The rest of the crew didn't seem to care one way or the other about Louisa, though he had seen Alicia Kenyon glare at Louisa the one time they were in the same room. It reminded Telemachus that Alicia had been very good friends with his wife and had been teaching Drago to cook.

He really couldn't understand why the crew seemed so sure that he would go for it with Louisa. Especially since they had all known how much Alura meant to him. Alura, who was strong-willed but loving, a fighter as any true Nietzschean should be. A beautiful woman with a pure heart who he had loved more than he had known one of his kind _could _love. Unconsciously he reached down to caress the still-hidden-at-his-wrist-under-the-forearm-wrap necklace he had designed for his wife before her disappearance.

_Alura_…

His eyes flying as wide as they would go, Telemachus sat up straight with a suddenness that surprised even him. Was it possible? Had Alura left him because of Louisa? He knew on some level that Trance saw alternate possibilities because of being an Avatar, and, if he remembered correctly, Alura had regained her own Avatar abilities shortly before all this started.

Could Alura have seen something from the situation they were going into that would make her think that he would be interested in Louisa? It only made any sort of sense if what she had seen had been from a version of reality where they had survived the attack from the Magog more than a year ago but never met her.

Although it was hard to think that way, Telemachus had to admit that Louisa might have intrigued him if Alura had never been a part of his life. Because of Alura, he had become stronger again, more Nietzschean if one looked at it that way. He had been in contact, however brief, with his parents and had allowed the friends he had made on the Andromeda to become deeper parts of his life.

If that hadn't happened, if he had never met Alura and never changed through his experiences with her, he would have been very lonely… empty. And _extremely_ tired of feeling that way.

And despite the fact that there were several women on Andromeda that he found more attractive than their guest, he had to admit that he had never considered anything other than a full-blooded Nietzschean as a potential mate before meeting Alura. So if things had been completely different, then yes, maybe that possible future would have _been_ possible. But it hadn't, and he didn't know what to do with that insight.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Though they seemed to try to get him together with Louisa at every possible turn, none of the inner circle of the crew actually seemed to like her. So they were only doing it because they believed it was what was supposed to happen. He almost laughed at the thought of their loyalty and friendship with his wife causing them to act as cupid for he and Louisa.

Now the problem was how he could make them stop their efforts and see that it wasn't what he wanted on any level. With a fatalistic shrug, Telemachus realized he would just have to persevere through whatever was coming.

They would go to Arkology. They would complete another of Dylan's seemingly endless supply of impossible missions for the future of life in the universe. And then they would leave. And he could confront all of them with evidence that he wasn't going to choose to share anything of himself with Louisa Messereau. Then they would have to tell him what had happened instead of trying to make him forget again. They would have to tell him how to find his wife and his adopted son. Everything would be right again soon.

Telemachus smiled as he allowed himself to finally fall asleep.

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**Two weeks and 6 days earlier…** (in other words, the morning after Louisa and the Ambassador left Arkology)

"Good luck, Alura Anasazi," Marlowe's image smiled on the front screen of the Dance Among the Stars. "May the Divine watch over and guide you."

"You as well, Paradine," Alura replied before signaling for Danny to end the communication.

She turned her back on the front view screen as Danny flew away from Arkology on autopilot so they'd be clear of the structure before entering slipstream. Cassandra, Baldur, Jess, Ticon and Terren were sitting in the chairs along the back wall, awaiting her instructions. Ariadne was with Britta and Drago in their suite, having agreed to watch them for the duration of the trip. Achilles stood by Alura's side. They had already discussed what would happen the night before, and he would be taking the pilot chair first.

"From here we have to travel through twelve different slipstream routes to get to the one that will lead to Tarn Vedra. I have to ask each of you who have experience in slipstream to take turns with Kill so I will be rested when we come to the final portal. I am the only one who will be able to make that route work for us without a lot of training, and we don't have time to wait for that."

A schedule was quickly decided upon between all of the other adults since they all had experience in slipstream, though Cassandra hadn't piloted in some time. The shorter, easier jumps would be reserved for her to pilot.

Alura left command deck in Achilles' capable hands and went to the room where Ariadne and the two children were. Command deck remained under normal shields so that the pilot could feel changes in the slipstream route, but the rest of the ship, most importantly the personal quarters, had special shields that allowed the occupants to go about their business even during extended periods of slipstream travel. She sat quietly in a comfortable chair watching them play for awhile until Britta asked her to read them a story. When she consented, Drago brought her his favorite flexi, the one with the life story of Alexander the Great. It remained his favorite story, and had become one of Britta's as well.

"If one of the twins was a boy we could've named him Alexander," Drago said wistfully in one of the lulls between chapters.

"There's a girl version of the name: Alexandra," Alura informed him.

"Could we name one of them that?" Britta asked, both children smiling excitedly as they waited for her answer.

Alura felt a pang at the thought of not having been able to discuss names with the twins' father, but she smiled gently at the waiting children, "I'll have to talk about it with Telemachus, but I don't see a problem with it."

Britta squealed delightedly, and Alura could feel Drago's happiness at helping name one of his baby sisters, but that wasn't all he was thinking about.

"Does that mean we're going to see Telemachus again soon?" he asked in a small voice.

Ariadne, who was sitting across the room, was suddenly completely tuned in to their conversation.

"If the Andromeda and her crew need our help against the Magog worldship, we'll see them in about three weeks. But if they are able to complete the mission on their own, we'll track them down in a few months," Alura replied. "It's important for him to be there when the twins are born," she added, that last part meant more for Ariadne than for Drago and Britta.

Drago smiled, happy, and Ariadne asked the two children if they were hungry for lunch yet. Alura excused herself to her own room, determined to get something light to eat and then rest until it was her turn as pilot.

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"Alura, it's time," Achilles' voice came to her over Danny's communications system.

Having already been aware that they were almost there, Alura stopped pacing as she had been for the past several minutes and left the room, heading for command. The others watched as she entered, all but Achilles strapped firmly into the seats along the back wall of command.

"Do you need more rest?" Achilles asked as she approached, reminding her that he could feel her nervousness.

"No, I'm ready," she answered softly, smiling when he lightly stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "It's just been a few years since I last did this."

Achilles nodded and moved to his own seat. Alura climbed into the pilot chair that had been raised from beneath the floor to enable slipstream piloting. Danny appeared beside her and smiled, dressed in his uniform as he had been since they had left Tarazed. She smiled back and engaged slipstream, seeing the portal opening a second before it actually did because of her Avatar blood.

"Shipwide, please, Danny," Alura said. At his affirming nod, she continued, "Everyone make sure you remain securely fastened into your seats. About three minutes in we'll be taking a sharp turn and even the heavily shielded parts of the ship will feel it. It will be followed by a bit of bouncing around before we exist slipstream."

Taking a deep breath and focusing all her attention on what she was about to do, Alura moved the Dance forward into slipstream. The 'turn' she had accidentally taken so many years ago in the otherwise normal slipstream route was not visible to the naked eye or to sensors. It had to be felt. Alura let her eyes slide shut as the Dance approached the spot where she would have to take drastic action. Feeling the familiar pull that had led her to the only place she had ever truly considered home in her own reality, Alura pulled back hard on the controls, forcing the Dance into an almost ninety degree turn straight up from where they had been flying.

Someone gasped behind her, and Alura opened her eyes to navigate the rest of the route to Tarn Vedra. Even this was not easy, not ordinary, the route about three times more tangled and twisted than the average hard-to-navigate slipstream route. The Vedrans had a device that was capable of manipulating the slipstream strings, and they had used it to cut themselves off after the Nietzscheans had gone against the Commonwealth three hundred years before. The majority of routes had been completely destroyed, but this one had simply been snarled beyond recognition, it's entrance hidden, so that only those trained to do so could navigate it.

The Vedrans had never counted on a fifteen-year-old half-Nietzschean half-Avatar accidentally finding the route on her first attempt at piloting slipstream. Alura had often wondered how luck had been so firmly on her side then when it hadn't been kind to her most of her young life.

She didn't want to even consider what it would have meant for her or the universe in general if she had never found it.

The Dance jostled through the stream for a few minutes before Alura turned the ship, not quite as sharply as before, and exited into regular space. A swell of wonder and awe coming from behind her made her smile. She asked for shipwide again and told Ariadne to bring Drago and Britta to command. All three ran into the room a mere minute later, joining the others in staring at the blue, green and white orb before them. Tarn Vedra was reminiscent of Earth before it had been corrupted by centuries of attacks and devastation, only so much larger. The fact that it was the lone planet circling its sun was another thing that set it apart from Earth.

There were Commonwealth and civilian ships… warships, cargo carriers and transports alike… circling the planet, and two of the smaller warships were already heading their way. Alura glanced at Danny. If he was given to such things, he would have been pacing or otherwise fidgeting. As it was, he merely stared with intensity at the two ships as they drew nearer. They were bigger than his current shell, but not even half of what he had once been. Although she knew it was even more of a long shot than getting herself reinstated as Rear Admiral of the Lower Fleet within the next three weeks, Alura couldn't help hoping that Danny would once again become the AI of one of the most powerful ships in the Tarn Vedran fleet. But at this point in time, 'he' had been installed a year already, the Dance Among The Stars still under the command of his first captain.

One of the warships hailed them, and Danny put a man's image up on a portion of the front screen. Before the man could order her to keep all weapons offline and follow them is she didn't want her ship destroyed, Alura spoke.

"My name is Alura Anasazi, I need to speak with…"

"Follow us, please," the man cut her off before his image disappeared.

"That was rude," Cassandra commented.

Alura smiled but kept her laugh contained, following the two warships as they turned and headed for the planet. She was confused when, instead of taking them to the quarantine zone, the two warships led them to the Imperial docking facility.

The man reappeared on the screen as Alura landed the Dance to say, "Your escort will meet you outside your ship."

He disappeared again after relaying his message.

"What's going on?" Achilles asked quietly from beside her, able to feel how confused she was through the past several minutes.

"I have no idea," she murmured in response. To the others, she said, "Achilles and I will go through the first meeting without the rest of you. We'll be back as soon as we can."

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"I wish you'd take me with you," Danny said as he walked with Alura and Achilles toward the exit ramp.

"You already exist here, Danny. Until they accept where and when I'm from, it would be too confusing and suspicious for you to be there."

"If they throw you in the brig, I have the codes that could get you out," he pointed out.

"I have your emitter if it comes to that," Alura assured her ship's AI.

Danny nodded and watched as Alura took a deep breath and moved through the exit, head held high. Achilles went out first to guard Alura against possible attacks. A human woman in civilian clothes stood at the bottom of the ramp, flanked by two male Vedrans, both in Commonwealth uniform shirts. The shirts had the silver piping and insignia that Alura had shown him on her uniforms.

Achilles couldn't help but stare at the first live and in person Vedrans he had ever seen, though something flickered in his mind, reminding him that when he had watched over Alura in her own reality, he would have seen plenty of Tarn Vedra and its inhabitants.

"Follow me, please," the woman said before turning around.

Achilles could feel Alura's continuing confusion at the way they were being handled, but he remained outwardly calm just as she did. Alura's hand brushed his as they walked, and Achilles reached down to give her fingers a light squeeze. She smiled up at him briefly before refocusing her attention on their guides.

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They were led directly to the large greeting room used for semi-private meetings with the Empress and other members of the court. Alura was now beyond confused. When she and Hank had found their way here accidentally, they had been questioned and kept in quarantine for three months before they were granted a temporary test citizenship. Even when they had joined the Tarn Vedra Home Guard they hadn't seen the monarch in person. It wasn't until Aura's first commendation that they had actually met the Empress.

The guards walking with them stopped just inside the meeting room doors and waved Alura and Achilles forward. Alura took a few steps forward toward the raised platform at the end of the room that served as the Empress' "throne" before realizing she was being tested. The woman dressed in regal attire and waiting with an imperious expression held Alura's attention for only a moment. A quick scan of the room stopped Alura's forward movement, and Achilles went still as well, taking his cues from her.

When she spotted a particular Vedran female off to the side clothed in the outfit of a servant, Alura turned and walked toward her. Using Achilles' arm as a balance against her pregnant belly's tendency to tip her forward, Alura curtsied low before the disguised alien.

"Your Imperial Majesty," she greeted softly.

The centaur-like Empress smiled and motioned for Alura to stand.

"Welcome. But may I ask why you're out of uniform, Commodore?"

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**Preview:** Alura is welcomed back to Tarn Vedra with surprisingly open arms. The Andromeda reaches Arkology, and the crew discovers how close the worldship is.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes:** _Italics_ signify thought or emphasis. Part of this chapter will jump forward in time, so forgive me if it's slightly confusing. It'll be labeled.

Yes… I am alive. Yes… I'm _horribly_ sorry for the long posting gap. No… I haven't given up on this story. Yes… I will continue writing it until it is finished, even if a certain someone I know is the only one who reviews from here on out. Yes… I will be more grateful than you can understand if it ends up more people have stuck with me. Anyway, on with the story.

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_**Previously…**_

_**The guards walking with them stopped just inside the meeting room doors and waved Alura and Achilles forward. Alura took a few steps forward toward the raised platform at the end of the room that served as the Empress' "throne" before realizing she was being tested. The woman dressed in regal attire and waiting with an imperious expression held Alura's attention for only a moment. A quick scan of the room stopped Alura's forward movement, and Achilles went still as well, taking his cues from her.**_

_**When she spotted a particular Vedran female off to the side clothed in the outfit of a servant, Alura turned and walked toward her. Using Achilles' arm as a balance against her pregnant belly's tendency to tip her forward, Alura curtsied low before the disguised alien.**_

"_**Your Imperial Majesty," she greeted softly.**_

_**The centaur-like Empress smiled and motioned for Alura to stand.**_

"_**Welcome. But may I ask why you're out of uniform, Commodore?"**_

And now…

Achilles pulled Alura all the way to her feet automatically. It had taken a few seconds for the Empress' words to sink in, for them to realize what she had called Alura, and the couple stared at the Vedran, their mouths slack in disbelief. Alura was the first to recover, though Achilles could tell both through their connection and the trembling of her hand on his arm that she was still shocked. They had been expecting to have to argue every bit of who they were and why they were here, to fight for every inch of belief and acceptance, and now it seemed that it wasn't necessary.

"Empress? How did you…"

Instead of answering, the Vedran Empress interrupted Alura with a lift of her hand and commanded the rest of the room, "Leave us."

The four-legged monarch moved toward the dais at the head of the room as the rest of the court began filing out of the various doors. Achilles and Alura followed her automatically, almost in a daze. The Empress removed the casual top that had covered her own more regal attire, handing it to a young, human servant, the last person to leave. When she had regained her usual spot, she turned her focus once more to Alura and Achilles.

"The knowledge of your existence, your past in an alternate future, and the fact that you would eventually come to us, it has all been known to the royal line since right after the fall of the Commonwealth. My ancestress was going to completely cut Tarn Vedra off from the rest of the universe until a visitor from the future convinced her not to."

"A visitor?" Alura echoed. "From _my_ future?"

The Empress inclined her head. "He did not live long, but what he shared with my ancestress in the time he was here was enough to convince her and every generation since that preparing for the day when Tarn Vedra would rejoin the universe was of utmost importance. He also brought proof that the Nietzscheans had been right to rebel against the Commonwealth's foolish belief that a treaty with the Magog was a good idea."

Achilles could tell that Alura had added up the comments the monarch had made about the person from the future and come to a conclusion even before she spoke. He had come to the same one.

"He was infested, wasn't he?"

"Yes," the Empress answered simply. She switched her gaze to Achilles, studying him for a moment before saying, "I always expected you to show up alone, though I can't imagine why."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," Alura dipped her head slightly in a partial bow. "In the excitement I forgot that you would not know him. This is my second husband, Achilles Renier of the Valhalla and Kodiak Prides, formerly of the Tarazed Home Guard and the new Commonwealth High Guard."

"Formerly?" the Empress queried.

"I quit when my request for leave to be with Alura during her pregnancy was denied," Achilles responded. "There were certain intrigues having to do with her first husband's family that made her and their unborn children a target. I was not willing to risk her safety just to keep my military career."

"Your loyalty to your wife is commendable," the Empress acknowledged. Of Alura she asked, "Are you still willing to resume your duties with the Imperial Guard now that you are with child?"

It was a valid question. Anyone who knew even a little about Nietzschean family structures knew that women were much less likely to be warriors, especially if they were able to bear children. To actually fight when one was, in fact, pregnant was practically unheard of.

"As long as Your Majesty does not find it an impediment," Alura replied. "I chose the path of a warrior long ago and that will never change, but I don't intend to let it stop me from having a family. If the Divine continues to bless me, this will not be my last pregnancy." Alura smiled, "And to answer your earlier question, my uniforms no longer fit me."

The Empress laughed lightly, "In that case, I'll have one of the Imperial Guard tailors contact you about a fitting tomorrow."

"Thank you."

The Vedran Empress became serious again. "Is it true that you are the daughter of the Avatar of Tarn Vedra's sun?"

Alura gasped, and the knowledge that she herself had suspected it but not _known_ until meeting her mother in this reality passed through their connection to Achilles. Who from Alura's reality who had known her when she was already a Commodore of the Vedran fleet could possibly have known that?

"Yes," Alura answered shakily. "Who…?"

Without a word, the Empress moved to one of the decorative pillars at the edge of the dais, pressing a hidden panel that slid out on contact. Her fingers flew over the keys on the top of the panel, presumably entering a code. Another hidden panel opened, this one sliding aside to reveal a small safe. The Empress reached inside and pulled out a vid player. Knowing his wife was too anxious to control the tremor running through her form, Achilles stepped forward and accepted it from the Vedran female.

He handed it to his wife, who played the single file in the player's memory for only a few seconds before pausing it. Tears welled in her eyes and a mix of sorrow and love washed through her and, by default, him. There was only one human that Achilles hadn't met who would make her feel that way so quickly, the man who had been a second father to her in one of the darkest periods of Alura's life. It didn't explain how he had known about Trance being Tarn Vedra's sun, but it did make other things a lot more clear.

"Hank," she whispered softly, running a silver fingernail down the image on the small screen. Alura lifted her gaze to the Empress, "May I keep this?"

The Empress nodded, "Of course. It was meant for you. All the other records pertaining to this situation are kept in a separate, highly secure location."

Alura turned to Achilles and handed him the player, which she had turned off. "Hold on to this for me. And could you go wait in the hall for a minute? There's something I need to tell the Empress alone."

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The Empress listened as the half Nietzschean, half Avatar woman turned to her mate. The bands on their arms were, of course, an obvious sign of what they were to each other, but there was also intense feeling between them that was almost tangible, and they seemed to be able to communicate on a level only those with the deepest commitment to each other could. From what the Empress knew of the Nietzschean race, this was a rare thing.

The blonde Nietzschean male inclined his head in acknowledgment of her request and, after planting a light kiss on his wife's forehead, he turned and left the room. The Empress returned her attention to Alura when Achilles had shut the door behind him.

"Forgive me for being forward, Your Majesty, but… if I have the timeline right, I'm not the only one expecting right now." Alura didn't pause, obviously not finished with what she had to say. "If I am right, you're pregnant for the fourth time, and this pregnancy is only a couple months shy of when you… _lost_ the other children."

"That's correct," the Empress answered, the reminder of the children she'd been unable to carry to term making her sadness carry through into the tone of her voice.

Alura took a deep breath and told her, "Your mate has been poisoning you, Your Majesty. He knows you have feelings for your second male and is afraid you will cast him aside once he gives you an heir. He does not want to lose the position or power inherent to being your Consort, and so each time you start to show, he slips an undetectable poison, not strong enough to more than make you sick but more than enough to kill your unborn child, into your bathing water."

Vedrans were matriarchal, and when the females came of age they took six males as theirs. However, only one member of the group, the one commonly referred to as the female's mate, was allowed to impregnate her. There were many cases of fighting and intrigue destroying family groups, especially when a female became closer to a male other than her mate, but it was one of the main traditions of the culture, and there were too many more male Vedrans than there were females for monogamy to work. No one had come up with a better system, so this one remained in place.

The Empress clenched and unclenched her fists, rage and despair swirling through her in equal measure. "How… how did you discover this?"

"I didn't, it all happened more than a decade before I found the way through the slipstream maze in my universe," Alura replied. "After the loss of your fifth child, the poison had an unintended side effect of making you sterile. Eventually your Consort felt guilty enough about obliterating the royal line to admit what he had done. You had him executed quietly; I learned about the matter when… I was the Imperial Hand for a year and a half."

"And do you have proof of this?" the Empress asked urgently, not concerned in the least that Alura had just admitted to having been the Empress' personal spy-and-assassin for a time. Although it hadn't been included in the knowledge of her that had been preserved for three hundred years, it actually didn't surprise the Empress, considering the woman had been a Commodore, and offered an Admiralty, at such a young age. "I won't be able to do anything without proof. And I do not want to lose another child, royal line notwithstanding."

Alura's hand drifted to her own rounded belly in an unconscious, protective gesture. "I understand. I do have the records of his confession, will that be enough?"

"It will have to be," the Empress said firmly.

Taking a breath to steady herself, she yanked on a nearby bell pull, summoning a member of the Imperial Guard. While the Empress spoke quietly to him about having a permanent watch put on her Consort until she could take action, Alura drifted to the door Achilles had exited through, beckoning him back into the throne room. The Guard slipped away to do her bidding, and the Empress pulled another rope as the couple once more approached her. A door nearer the dais opened and Admiral Volkova, one of the highest ranked officers in Tarn Vedra's military and, more importantly, a trusted friend, entered the room.

"Commodore Alura Anasazi, Admiral Mikhail Volkova… he will be acting as your liaison if you have no objections," the Empress introduced and informed. "Volkova, this is the mysterious Commodore I told you about."

As expected, Alura showed no signs of knowing Volkova. The Admiral had most likely been retired by the time Alura was highly ranked enough herself to have dealings with officers of his position in her universe. It was another reason the Empress had chosen him for this important mission. She did not want ties from Alura's former life to make dealing with any of the Nietzschean-Avatar's current military contacts difficult on or awkward for the young woman.

"It is an honor," the human male stated as he shook first Alura's hand and then Achilles'.

"And this is her husband, Captain Achilles Renier, formerly of the new Commonwealth High Guard and the Tarazed Home Guard," the Empress continued. "I don't think it will be a problem for him to be her second-in-command with a position in the Tarn Vedra fleet that matches his old rank."

Volkova nodded in her direction, "I'll see to it right away, Your Majesty."

"Along a similar line," Alura spoke, "I have a request to make."

The Empress inclined her head slightly in a 'go ahead' gesture.

"When we left Tarazed, my son Drago, Achilles' adopted daughter Britta and several members of our extended family came with us," Alura began. "They are not military, though two of them were members of the Tarazed police force for many years, but they did come halfway across the universe with me to support and help me. They are all at least half Nietzschean, and many of them have membership in two Prides, but I am their Matriarch while they are here. If it isn't a problem, I would like to request that they be allowed to remain with Achilles and I on whatever ship or base you choose to send us to. Other than the children, all but two of them are qualified to fulfill civilian positions onboard a ship."

The Empress shared a glance with Volkova before smiling at Alura. "You have my permission, but it _will_ ultimately be up to you. You will be Commanding Officer of your ship, after all. Decisions about your crew are yours to make."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Alura responded, bowing her head briefly. "There is one more favor I have to ask of you."

The Empress turned a questioning gaze on the young woman.

"Since you know so much about my former life I assume you also know about Captain Dylan Hunt and his ship the Andromeda Ascendant." When the Empress inclined her head in agreement, Alura continued. "In slightly less than three weeks he will be facing off against the Magog worldship, trying to protect an orbiting habitat called Arkology. Arkology is a place of peace and is somehow an important part of the Light that the Abyss wants to forever extinguish. My family and I have already tried to subtly help the Andromeda's crew in the fight to come, but they may still need assistance."

"What is it exactly that you want us to do?" the Empress asked.

"My mother and my first husband are both on that ship," Alura said, her voice changing slightly to reveal her passionate refusal to lose them. "I have to be there to make sure they don't lose their lives. If Dylan fails, it will be the beginning of the end for the entire universe, not just the Commonwealth that Dylan reestablished. Dylan is a Champion of the Light, displaced in time three hundred years so he could be of the most use…"

"Commodore," the Empress interrupted. "Why don't you just let us know what you need so we can start working on it?"

Alura blushed, her cheeks becoming an interesting shade of violet. "Sorry, Your Majesty. If at all possible, I'd like an escort of four warships that can cover my ship if it becomes necessary to go in and get the Andromeda's crew out."

"Four?" Volkova echoed. "Don't you think that's overkill with a ship like the Dance? I'd say you only need two others for a retrieval mission."

Alura, wide-eyed, swung her gaze from Volkova back to the Empress, "You're letting me have command of the original Dance Among the Stars?"

"Yes," the Empress answered, a smile curving her lips at Alura's childlike awe over the fact that she was getting her ship back. "Because of what we knew of you, the Dance has been sitting in dry dock since it was built, waiting for it's commanding officer and it's AI to come home."

Several silent but emotionally charged minutes passed before Alura responded in a voice barely above a whisper, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the Empress answered before clearing her throat. "Now, I do have other matters to take care of. Admiral Volkova will help you with the transfer and all of the logistics of putting together a full crew for the Dance. He'll also be in charge of getting any information you may have to share with us and vice versa. I will find a time to schedule a meeting to see how things are going in a week."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Alura curtsied with her husband's assistance once more, and Achilles and Volkova bowed before following the Commodore out of the throne room. Once they were gone, the Empress gave herself a few minutes to process what she had learned before calling in her next appointment. Her personal feelings about what had happened would have to wait until the business of running the empire was done for the day.

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As they followed Admiral Volkova down the hall a little ways, Alura apologized mind to mind to Achilles for the chaotic swirl of emotions racing through them both. She was still reeling, in a good way, from everything that had fallen into place so quickly. But darker emotions had also been stirred by the memory of what Hank had gone through in his last days. Achilles brushed aside her concern that perhaps the price of being Bonded was too hard on him, letting her know he liked knowing how she was feeling, that it made him feel that much closer to her.

When they reached the part of the hallway that branched out in two different directions, one of them the way they had earlier come from the current, smaller Dance, Volkova stopped and turned to face them.

"There are things I'm going to need to take care of now that you've arrived, and I'm sure you'd like the files necessary to bring you up to date on current military activity." Alura nodded, and Volkova continued, "I'll send one of my aides to your ship to bring you the information that will be necessary to transfer command of the Dance Among the Stars to you, as well as the most pertinent military records. We can meet in two days if that's enough time for you to get yourselves resettled and take a look at the files."

"That sounds good, thank you, Admiral. Time is of the essence to get everything in place to assist Captain Hunt."

Volkova nodded his understanding and saluted quickly, "Then I will see you again in two days, Commodore."

Alura saluted back, and when Volkova had turned and left them, she and Achilles headed for the smaller version of the Dance that would soon become simply a back up fighter. There was no military escort this time, Alura and her family now an accepted part of the Vedran Empire. Alura knew Danny would be thrilled.

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"Well?"

Alura stifled a laugh. Danny hadn't even waited for she and Achilles to reach the top of the ramp leading into the current Dance Among the Stars before asking them how the meeting had gone… though not in so many words.

"The aide of an Admiral named Volkova will be coming by shortly with orders for the Dance Among the Stars to be handed over to myself and it's AI. We have a busy few weeks ahead of us."

Danny simply stared at Alura for a long minute. "I… they never programmed the original AI?"

Alura shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. "We've been expected for three hundred years, long before the Dance was even designed. Volkova is our main contact within the military; we'll be working under him from now on. Would you like to wait here for the aide while we tell the others about the meeting?"

Danny would be able to monitor the coming conversation through the ship's sensors, and Alura knew he would be anxious about the orders and information they were waiting for until it had reached them. The overwhelmed AI simply nodded in response to her question, and Alura and Achilles headed for the bridge where the others were sure to be awaiting their return.

An hour later Alura and Achilles were once again alone, having already shared the good news with the rest of their family. Everyone had been understandably relieved and excited. Danny was still waiting at the ship's entrance for the aide whose dispatches would set their next course of action in motion, that of relocating once again, this time into a full size warship. Alura felt bad about making the others go through so much effort, but it would further ensure their own safety and greatly increase the likelihood that their plans to help Dylan, Telemachus and the rest of the Andromeda's crew would work. And hopefully it would be the last major upheaval they'd have to deal with for the foreseeable future.

Breaking free of her thoughts to focus on her Bonded mate and her new theory about how much of this had even become possible, Alura held up the vid player that the Empress had given her but did not activate it. "Kill, this is what you did."

"What do you mean?" Achilles asked, something pressing at his conscious memory but not quite able to get through.

"You sent Hank to this past, with all the knowledge he would need to pave my way, when he was about to die," Alura said softly. "It's why you were stripped of your position and your memory."

Achilles flinched as if an electrical current had just run through his body. Images of Alura, which he suddenly knew were from his time watching over her in her reality, flooded into his memory. There were others, too, millennia of remembrances added to his only decades-long life in this form, but the memories of Alura were the most vivid, the most important. She was right. He had gone against the rules, never even attempting to gain permission, in order to set things up enough that she would once again have the backing of the Vedran Empire when she eventually made her way to the planet that had been her base of operations for nearly half her life.

He had known before he made the choice that it would mean the end of his guardianship of her, might even result in the end of his immortal existence, but he had loved her too much to care what would happen to him. When he had been informed that his memories were to be stripped and that his Light would be given a mortal existence, his only request had been that his mortal self be allowed to cross paths with her. There had been resistance to the idea at first, the fear that he would regain some of what he was because of her influence the biggest factor, but because he had not asked for anything beyond that… power, wealth, position or anything else… it had, in time, been allowed.

It was because of Alura's perceptive revelations here and on Arkology, and the fact that they were Bonded, that he had remembered anything. The knowledge of all he had given up for her, as well as the fact that though he would always be a Paradine, his Light unable to become anything else, his lifespan was now tied directly to hers, flowed from Achilles to Alura. It was a bittersweet moment, but there would be time in the years they would have together to reflect on everything they had been and would be to each other. Right now they had worries that affected more than just the two of them to attend to.

"Marlowe has been out of touch with the rest of the Paradine for hundreds of years," Achilles told Alura, his voice and feelings showing his worry over the fact and what it could mean to the crew of the Andromeda. "Something has been blocking him from their influence nearly the entire time he's been on Arkology."

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**Nearly three weeks later…**

"I'll take you to Marlowe," Louisa said as she led the way down a hallway.

The Andromeda had reached Arkology, and the crew been warmly welcomed. Beka had opted to stay on the Andromeda, having heard enough about Arkology and its inhabitants from Louisa to know it was not a place she would ever fit in. Telemachus was once again relegated to escorting Louisa, but to Dylan's surprise… and suspicion… he had stopped fighting it awhile ago and seemed to be silently suffering through the experience. Dylan didn't believe for one second that Telemachus was actually falling for Louisa, the put-upon expression that slid out from beneath the mask of indifference Telemachus wore when he thought the others had stopped watching was more than enough to convince Dylan. Telemachus and Louisa walked in front of the small group, Dylan and Trance right behind them, with Harper and Rommie bringing up the rear.

The people they passed watched silently, a few of them inclining their heads in greeting. The men and women were dressed one of two ways. Some of them wore simple, practical clothing like Louisa's, the other were dressed in robes. The ones in robes seemed more suspicious of their presence, and Dylan wondered if they were part of whatever government the people of Arkology followed. It was only later, when they had met Marlowe and been shown to the main room used by the "Council" that Dylan realized how much more odd the situation was than he had anticipated. After Louisa had excused herself and Telemachus to show the Nietzschean Commander around the structure, a tactical necessity, Dylan had tried to explain to Marlowe what it was the Magog had really been doing when pursuing their "treaty".

Marlowe listened, the faint smile he'd been wearing since they'd shown up slipping not even once. Dylan found it slightly disturbing but maintained a controlled façade. When they had arrived, Trance had told him that this place, a place of peace, was important, that if the Magog destroyed it, it would be a great loss. Keeping that in mind, though he had a hard time believing it, Dylan encouraged Marlowe to move Arkology so the Magog would have to look for it before they could complete their plan.

"Any decisions must be made unanimously by the entire Council," the dark skinned man calmly told Dylan.

A short, derisive laugh escaped Dylan and he gestured around the room. "Then hold your meeting and make the decision. Time is of the essence."

Marlowe's smile grew slightly. "The Council consists of every person living on Arkology, Dylan. We can only hold our meetings in dream state and will have to wait until this evening to do so."

Floored by the thought of that many people deciding on anything, Dylan could do nothing beyond muttering a defeated, "Fine."

"Even if the Council did decide to move Arkology, which is unlikely, I'm afraid our slipstream drive hasn't been used in hundreds of years," Marlowe went on calmly. "I believe it is no longer in working condition."

Harper sneered slightly. Dylan knew that look and agreed with it. There wasn't anything Harper couldn't fix given enough time and the right supplies… sometimes even when he _didn't _have those.

"You wouldn't mind if I took a look at it then," the blonde engineer half-asked.

"Of course," Marlowe answered after a barely discernible hesitation.

He waved forward a young man, instructing him to take Harper to the engine room and provide him with any tools he might need. Once Harper had gone, Rommie in tow, Dylan begrudgingly agreed to a tour since the Council would not "meet" for at least several more hours. Trance, silent and sad-eyed, followed closely.

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As Telemachus walked through the main section of Arkology with Louisa, slightly in awe of the unique structure, he mentally noted all the weaknesses inherent in it's design. If the place had even just had simple defensive systems in place, it might have been a different story, but as it was, the only people that _could_ live on it without fearing for their lives every time a ship approached would be people that had a blind faith in the power of peace.

They passed many people as they moved, and Telemachus judged them as well. He needed to know what he and the rest of the Andromeda's crew would be dealing with if Harper wasn't able to fix things in time and they were forced to fight. Though many of the men and women of Arkology were in the physical shape that resulted from long hours working in agricultural pursuits, he saw not one person with a warrior's build. Which was particularly disturbing to him since there were quite a few Nietzscheans. Ana Purna Pride would not be making alliances based on the physical promise of their genetics anytime soon.

Weapons would have to be passed out from the Andromeda's stores. Telemachus highly doubted pitchforks and hoes would do much against the Magog. He tried to ignore the fact that the Magog could kill them all with little more than a few strategically placed hull breaches. It didn't settle his nerves to know the Magog probably wanted many of the residents to remain alive for feeding and infesting. Fatalism was part of being a Nietzschean, and Telemachus couldn't help but wonder if he had remembered Alura only to die before he could even start to look for her and Drago.

As if the thought of the boy had conjured her, a preteen Nietzschean girl crossed the dirt path in front of he and Louisa. Telemachus smiled as she and her companions stopped to stare at the visitor, making him wonder how infrequently people from outside Arkology came across the place, let alone stopped and visited. The other children rushed ahead and Louisa told one of them to look out for another, he assumed the youngest of the group.

The Nietzschean girl smiled shyly at him before following the others. Telemachus' gaze unfocused, wondering if Alura and Drago were somewhere where there were other Nietzscheans for his adopted son to grow up with. Beside him, Louisa lightly touched his arm to get his attention.

He looked at her with a questioning raise of his eyebrows.

"I think she was quite taken with you," the blonde remarked.

She nodded in the direction the girl had gone, but Telemachus could tell from her tone that she was hinting that the girl wasn't the only one. Taking the unexpected but welcomed opportunity to tell Louisa how things stood without Dylan or one of the others interrupting them, however good their intentions might have been, Telemachus turned to look Louisa directly in the eyes. He didn't want there to be any chance of her misunderstanding.

"It is not spoken of among the crew due to personal reasons, but I am already mated," he said. "I love my wife, and in her I found my match, someone who feels the way I do about fighting for life. Besides," he nodded with a smile in the direction the children had disappeared, "she was much too young for me."

His attempt at lightening what could have been a very awkward, heavy situation worked, and Louisa smiled back. "I'm sure her heart will mend."

So would hers, Telemachus knew. They had not known each other long enough to establish any real, deep bonds. He didn't know why at her age she was unmated, but Louisa still had time to find the right man for her… if she survived what was coming. It just wouldn't be him.

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"Thank you for doing this, Beka," Dylan's image said on the Eureka Maru's communications screen.

Busy doing her pre-flight check, Beka barely spared the screen a glance. "I may not be willing to die for these people, Dylan, but I'm not about to leave you here completely blind."

Arkology did not possess long range scanners of any sort. And though Dylan was still hopeful that Harper would be able to fix Arkology's slipstream drive, or, if the repairs took too long, that he himself would be able to convince the people of Arkology to fight for their own lives, in either case they needed to know how long they had. The last confirmed intelligence they had received on the location of the worldship had been some time ago. So Beka, not feeling comfortable waiting and doing nothing on Arkology, had volunteered to make a handful of slipstream jumps and get some long range scans taken so they had a better idea of when Arkology had to be either gone or ready to fight.

When she had finished that, she would be on her way out of the situation. Beka only grudgingly believed in fighting for Dylan's ideals, but there was no way she could handle staying and dealing once again with the Abyss and its minions for a bunch of peace-loving freaks who wouldn't even run to save themselves, let alone raise a hand in their own defense. She was seriously questioning the rest of the crew's sanity with their willingness to let their final battleground… for really, there was _no way_ they would win against the world ship and all the forces at it's disposal seeing as how they were not even as heavily armed as the last time they'd tried and failed… be this place that gave her a serious case of the creeps.

Beka had only made the first three short slipstream jumps before she pulled the Maru up short, no more slipstream portals necessary except for the ones that would take her back. At first it was just a few Magog fighters, the kind that punched through the hulls of bigger ships, that had her quickly making her preparations to leave… but the next sight she glimpsed, that of the edges of the horrifically familiar worldship rounding a nearby gas giant, froze her blood in her veins.

"Oh, shit."

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"How's it looking, Harper?" Dylan asked tiredly.

Trance was quiet, but she wandered slightly away from Dylan, having come in with him. She looked around the room with more interest that he'd ever seen her show in any of Harper's gadgets with the possible exception of his ill-fated tesseract machine.

The young engineer had not stopped frowning since Dylan had entered the slipstream engine room. And from the furrows in Harper's brow, Dylan doubted he had been making any expression other than a frown for some time. Could it really be that bad? Though Dylan wanted to help save the people of Arkology, he wasn't sure he was willing to die protecting a way of life he didn't believe in… they would find out when Beka got back just how long they had before leaving was a necessity. And while it was true that Harper often stressed himself out when he was working on something important, there was something different about his frustration this time.

"It's going to take time, probably more time than we have," Harper answered.

Dylan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"There's something else though, Dylan," Harper added hesitantly. "That Marlowe guy was wrong. I don't know whether he lied directly or not, but it hasn't been that long since someone worked on the drive. I'd say a month ago at the most. There are obvious signs of repair…"

"But?" Dylan prodded when Harper trailed off.

Before Harper could reply, however, Trance suddenly gasped and then spoke, standing next to Dylan once more.

"Alura."

Both men turned to look at her.

"What?" they asked in unison.

Trance glanced up at Dylan. He felt the tiniest bit of tension leave him as she smiled at him, her gaze clearer than it had been for a few days. She knew something, something that had lifted some of the weight from her slender shoulders and put a considerable amount of sparkle back in her eyes.

"Alura was here," Trance answered them. "Someone may have undone what she did to fix the slipstream engine, but if she knew enough to come here and do that, she'll know enough to be here again if we need her."

They were prevented from further discussion of the matter by one of the council members from the initial meeting making herself known vocally.

"Dylan," the woman called from the doorway. "Marlowe would like to speak with you… alone."

Noticing Trance's worried frown, Dylan nodded reluctantly before turning to follow the woman back to the council room. Marlowe made him uneasy, especially since, until her discovery of Alura's involvment, Trance hadn't smiled once since they'd reached Arkology, but Dylan knew he had to play nice if he was going to get Arkology's leader to listen to reason. Marlowe had insisted that the Council, which in its entirety included all of Arkology's adult residents, made every decision together, but Dylan had noted the respect the older man had been shown by the others, the way they turned to him for guidance. Hopefully this meeting would allow him to convince the older man of the truth.

_Be careful, Dylan_, Trance's voice echoed in his head.

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**Preview:** Things precede well on Tarn Vedra until Alura gets a Vision. Sabotage on Arkology traps the Andromeda crew into a no-win situation and forces Alura to take more direct action.


End file.
